|
Testimony on behalf of the
Friends of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Regarding the Fiscal Year 2007 Appropriation for
the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Submitted to the
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
The Honorable Ralph Regula, Chair
Submitted by
Mary Ann McCabe, Ph.D., 2006 Chair
Friends of NICHD
c/o Society for Research in Child Development
750 First Street NE
Washington D.C. 20002-4242
202/336-5951
The Friends of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
is a coalition of more than 100 organizations, representing scientists, health
professionals, and advocates for the health of infants, children, families, and
people with disabilities. We are pleased to submit testimony to support the
extraordinary work of the NICHD.
First, the Coalition would like to thank the Subcommittee for its previous
support of the federal investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH). To
ensure that progress is sustained, the Coalition joins the Ad Hoc Group for
Medical Research in supporting an FY 2007 appropriation of $29.75 billion for
the NIH, a 5% increase over FY 2006.
Since its creation in 1963, NICHD has made great strides in meeting the
objectives of its broad biomedical and behavioral research mission. The NICHD
research mission and portfolio, which is the broadest of all institutes and
centers, includes reducing difficulties with pregnancy, reducing birth defects
and infant mortality, and improving knowledge about learning disabilities.
Although the NICHD has made significant contributions to the well-being of our
children, women, and families, much remains to be done. The Institute is already
funding grant awards at dramatically reduced levels in the current fiscal year,
and under the proposed budget, this situation will continue to worsen in FY
2007. With adequate resources, NICHD could build upon the promising initiatives
described in this testimony and restore adequate funding to its research
projects. For FY 2007, the Friends of NICHD support an appropriation of $1.328
billion for NICHD, a 5% increase over FY 2006. [back to top]
Women's Health: Several NICHD initiatives have recently produced significant
research findings affecting women's health. For example, researchers have
expanded on key advances regarding the origin of fibroid tumors-the most common
benign tumors of the uterus and leading cause of hysterectomy in the United
States. Additional resources would enable the Institute to accelerate research
into fibroid tumors and other conditions, such as ovarian cancer and
infertility.
Maternal-Fetal Medicine: The NICHD network of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU),
working at 14 sites across the U.S., affords its physician-researchers the
opportunity to conduct large prospective clinical trials. Results of a
successful clinical research study within the MFMU showed that treatment with
progesterone could reduce recurrent preterm birth in high-risk women. This is
one of the first advances in this area, despite extensive efforts over decades.
Premature birth remains a significant public health problem, affecting one in
eight babies born in this country and is the leading cause of newborn death.
With sufficient funds, NICHD plans to implement a major new research initiative
focusing on genomics and proteomics that could accelerate knowledge into the
mechanisms responsible for premature birth, thereby further reducing the
incidence of preterm birth.
HIV/AIDS: NICHD research is testing and refining effective interventions to slow
HIV progression in women, treat infected infants, and reduce mother-to-child
transmission. NICHD collaborative research efforts on interventions, such as
drug therapy, have reduced maternal transmission of HIV from 27% to 1.2%
worldwide.
Newborn Screening: NICHD is leading federal research efforts to expand newborn
metabolic and genetic screening by developing a multiplexed screening prototype
that can be used by states and commercial laboratories in screening newborns for
a broad range of potentially fatal or disabling conditions. Enhanced newborn
screening would permit more timely clinical and preventive interventions for
currently treatable genetic disorders and enable scientists to study rare
disorders and develop treatments.
Infant Mortality: NICHD continues to support the Back to Sleep campaign to
reduce SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Since the campaign began in 1994,
the rate of SIDS has dropped nearly 50 percent. However, the SIDS rate in
African American infants is two times higher than in Caucasian infants, and the
NICHD has worked with several organizations to develop a resource kit to address
this disparity. The Institute would like to pursue a similar program for
American Indian communities.
Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Working in collaboration with European
researchers, NICHD investigators have identified regions of four chromosomes
that appear to be linked with autism. NICHD and four other NIH institutes
initiated the STAART Centers Program (Studies to Advance Autism Research and
Treatment). The research issues addressed include causes, diagnosis, early
detection, prevention, and treatment, with approaches stemming from
developmental neurobiology, genetics, and psychopharmacology. [back to top]
Birth Defects: With further resources, NICHD can prepare to capitalize on the
revolutionary detail of the Human Genome Project and extraordinary advances in
molecular and developmental biology to attack such problems as birth defects.
Cutting edge research suggests that the prenatal period can strongly determine
the health throughout our lives. Research on "fetal programming" could
have profound implications for addressing birth defects, as well as adult
illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.
NICHD can be instrumental in advancing basic understanding of biological and
adaptive mechanisms that operate in the womb and early childhood.
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities: Mental Retardation and
Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (MRDDRC). The MRDDRC are a national
resource established by Congress in 1963 to serve as "centers of
excellence" for research in mental retardation and developmental
disabilities. They are the world's largest concentration of scientific expertise
in the fields of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many disorders are
being studied by the MRDDRC such as Fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, and
autism. New genes have been identified in the past five years that are leading
to the eventual prevention of the disability, as well as to improved
developmental outcomes, for children born with cognitive disorders.
Child Development: Child development involves some of the most complex and
important questions facing behavioral and social science and pediatric
researchers. NICHD has been actively involved in testing off-patent drugs for
safety in children, as mandated in the Best Pharmaceuticals Act for Children.
They are now also developing improved databases for development, including
developmental norms for new medical technologies, such as fMRI and bone density
tests.
NICHD currently funds behavioral studies that are critical to ensuring the
health of our nation's children and adolescents. For example, NICHD has recently
funded work related to the safety of teen driving. NICHD also funds critical
research in the area of child abuse and neglect. Research has clearly shown that
many diseases and problems of adulthood, ranging from obesity to violence to
AIDS, are rooted in childhood behaviors. The National Longitudinal Study of
Adolescent Health has shown that by the time they reach early adulthood (age
19), a large proportion of American youth have begun the poor practices
contributing to three leading causes of preventable death in the U.S.: smoking,
poor diet and physical inactivity, and alcohol abuse.
Obesity: NICHD is integrally involved in research into the origins of obesity in
childhood. Next to tobacco use, diet and exercise represent the areas in which
prevention efforts will have the greatest impact in reducing the socioeconomic
and societal burdens of disease through halting the obesity epidemic. More
developmental research needs to be focused on understanding the interplay among
behavioral, social and physical environment, and biological factors that lead to
obesity so that effective and appropriate interventions can be developed earlier
in the life cycle. [back to top] Reading: NICHD continues to build on its impressive portfolio of research into
how children learn to read. Children who do not overcome reading impairments
carry these deficits into adulthood and the workforce. Reading research at NICHD
is extending to children for whom English is a second language, to other subject
areas (e.g., math), and to implications for teacher preparation. NICHD is also
currently funding new initiatives to develop better measures of the social and
emotional bases of school readiness, which will inform our early education
programs.
National Children's Study: The Children's Health Act of 2000 charged NICHD with
leading the National Children's Study (NCS) - a national longitudinal study of
environmental influences on the health and development of children. This study
will follow 100,000 children from before birth to early adulthood providing one
of the richest information resources available for answering questions related
to children's health and development. Although NICHD and a small consortium of
others have funded the initial stages of planning, developing the study
protocol, and selecting the study sites, this study is beyond the scope of any
single agency. To fully implement the study in FY 2007, the NCS needs an
increase of $57 million over the FY 2006 funding level.
Conclusion: To enable NICHD to fulfill the promise that these activities and
advances represent, the Friends of NICHD wholeheartedly support providing the
Institute an appropriation of $1.328 billion in FY 2007. Thank you. |
