Leaders at Vanderbilt Medical Center said they must cut their research budget by $250 million due to federal policy changes under the Trump administration. "In response to recent administrative orders impacting financial resources for medical research, it is necessary for VUMC to strategically reduce research operating costs," a spokesperson said. "Hiring for most research positions will be paused, and other cost-saving measures will be implemented."
This innovation could replace bulky lab equipment, revolutionizing drug discovery and enabling rapid, personalized treatment testing. Born from a student project levitating diamonds, the tech has evolved into a compact benchtop device that automates key biomedical tasks and speeds up pharmaceutical research. Its potential to streamline clinical testing and unlock faster cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s could reshape the future of medicine.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the NIH has conducted an "ongoing ideological purge of critical research projects" that violates federal law and is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts district court on behalf of four researchers and three unions with members who rely on NIH funding, says that the federal science agency "abruptly cancelled" hundreds of research projects "without scientifically-valid explanation or cause."
The global trade war that the Trump administration is on the verge of igniting promises to only complicate matters. In many cases, the only path forward may be to try to change the game—for instance, by creating process or product innovations.