Federally funded science to benefit everyone

By Thomas. J. ColvinI have a friend who told me that scientists and other eggheads are going to destroy the world with their crazy ideas. As a scientist with a roughly egg-shaped head, I'm sad to hear that. My family has lived in the Sandusky area for generations and we are all steeped in the values of the town. I was taught to work hard, take personal responsibility, and lend a helping hand to those who need it. I've carried these values with me my whole life and I think that they find a natural home in science. It's not always obvious, but federally funded scientific research is working hard to build a better America and to improve the lives of people in our Ohio communities.Our state has been one of the hardest hit by the opioid crisis. Drug-related hospitalizations and deaths in Erie County are getting dramatically worse every year. Ohio's number one tool to help those suffering with addiction is Medicaid, a federal program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I am thankful that Medicaid was able to provide 70% of the nearly $1 billion that Ohio invested in 2016 to fight the opioid epidemic. While Medicaid helps our community in the present, scientific research can look ahead to help us in the future.For example, the government is currently funding research to develop "abuse-deterrent formulations" of opioid pills. These could be designed to deactivate the opioids if the pills are crushed, making them unusable for snorting. Pills could also contain chemicals that produce a sick feeling if a person swallows more than their prescribed dosage. This research will reduce the supply of abusable opioids and also make it harder for potential addicts to abuse their prescriptions, while still providing people the pain relief they need.Studying the behavior of people may also provide valuable insight in the development of social or policy solutions. A recent study in California showed that patients who received their opioid prescriptions with a precautionary prescription of Narcan (a drug used to resuscitate someone who has overdosed) had 63% fewer opioid-related visits to the emergency room. One third of the patients in the study reported safer opioid use behaviors. This was partially because the Narcan prescription served as a reminder of the danger of misusing their opioids. We've all heard stories of addicts who abuse opioids because they think they will be saved with Narcan, but this result suggests that such an opinion does not represent the majority of opioid users. This research sheds crucial light on how Ohio could alter its policies to reduce opioid hospitalizations and overdoses.Private companies don't have a financial incentive to do this research. Thus, these studies and so many others like them must be supported through federal funding and administered by federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2016, Ohio received $730 million in research and small business awards from NIH and $23 million from the CDC.The White House is pushing for severe funding cuts in 2018 for these agencies and others. Specifically, the budget proposal from the President would cut funding for the CDC and NIH by almost 20%, while the FDA would be cut by 30%. This will eliminate work that directly benefits communities like Sandusky that are fighting in the trenches against the opioid epidemic. Ultimately, Congress has the power to set the budget, which means that these deep cuts can be prevented – and funding could even be increased! – but only if we tell our elected representatives that we value the work these agencies are doing.I care deeply about turning this epidemic around so families like mine can remain healthy and safe in Erie County. It is important to provide the federal agencies with the resources they need to harness science and to chart a course toward a better future.*Thomas J. Colvin is a native of Sandusky. He has a bachelor's degree in physics and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. He works in Washington, D.C. to increase the use of evidence and scientific reasoning in the federal policy-making process. Follow him on twitter @CheapAstronaut.