Connecticut universities have suffered substantial losses in federal research funding, with tens of millions of dollars in grants cancelled or paused. This disruption challenges ongoing research efforts, particularly crucial studies in public health and disease control. One prominent example is the work of Amy Bei, a professor of epidemiology at Yale University, who experienced the cancellation of a $300,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health on May 1, 2023. This funding was intended for her research on tracking malaria’s spread within communities.
Bei’s experience reflects a broader trend. In January, she received a stop-work order on another project in Chad, aimed at enhancing local laboratory capabilities for genomic surveillance. This project was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), but she later received an official cancellation notice in June. The challenges faced by Bei are emblematic of the struggles many researchers at Yale and other Connecticut institutions are currently encountering.
As of mid-October, Lindsay DiStefano, interim vice president for research at the University of Connecticut, indicated that the university had lost $41 million due to cancelled grants and nonrenewals. While the university has managed to allocate about $1.6 million of its own funds to support some projects temporarily, the overall impact on research is significant. According to Michael Crair, Yale’s vice provost for research, approximately 50 grants were cancelled, with another 22 either partially cancelled or paused. The total losses are estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.
Crair stated, “The loss of federal funding has delayed, halted, and put at risk research essential to advancing life-saving medical breakthroughs, scientific discovery, humanitarian aid, and technological innovation.”
Real-World Impacts of Research Funding Cuts
For Bei, the fight against malaria has been a lifelong commitment. Her journey began in the early 2000s when she traveled to Tanzania to investigate drug resistance and potential vaccine candidates. The experience profoundly affected her perspective on malaria’s devastating impact on communities.
She noted, “This is not just a problem that we’re trying to tackle in a Petri dish, but this is truly a disease that has an unbelievable toll in communities.” Despite advancements in medical interventions over the years, the malaria parasite continues to evolve, complicating efforts to combat the disease.
According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 report, Senegal reported approximately 1.2 million malaria cases and 200 fatalities in 2023. The complexity of the malaria parasite, which undergoes multiple life cycle phases and exhibits genetic variability, makes it difficult to develop a universally effective vaccine. As Bei explained, “The new parasites can appear differently in the body than the ones the mosquito originally transmitted, making the disease unpredictable.”
Bei’s recent research aims to identify biomarkers originating from mosquito saliva, which can help determine the effectiveness of government interventions. These biomarkers are particularly crucial in regions where individuals may carry the parasite without exhibiting symptoms, leading to unnoticed transmission within communities. “We have areas of the country where you think there’s very little transmission going on, but actually there’s sustained transmission that is just going under the radar,” she stated.
Securing Alternative Funding for Research
In light of the funding cuts, Bei has sought alternative financial support to sustain her projects. She received funding from the philanthropic arm of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, which has allowed her to continue some aspects of her NIH-funded research tracking malaria spread. Additionally, internal grants from Yale have enabled her team to maintain the USAID-funded project in Chad, including crucial training on genomic surveillance.
The loss of federal funding has been disruptive for researchers like Natasha Turyasingura, a Ph.D. student from Uganda. She was scheduled to travel to Africa in February to train local researchers on a new DNA sequencing panel but faced delays due to the funding cuts. With new funds secured, her team plans to travel to Chad in December.
Turyasingura has also experienced personal impacts from changes in U.S. immigration policies, which shortened her visa duration from one year to three months, complicating her ability to conduct research abroad. Meanwhile, community outreach efforts in Chad, aimed at educating residents about vaccination benefits, have been severely limited due to halted funding.
Despite these setbacks, Bei continues to receive additional NIH funding for the development of a next-generation malaria vaccine. The World Health Organization has approved two malaria vaccines in recent years, but both have exhibited low efficacy rates. The 2021 vaccine showed an efficacy of between 45% and 51%, while the 2023 vaccine ranged from 66% to 75%. In contrast, the measles vaccine is approximately 97% effective after two doses.
As part of the collaborative research effort, Laty Gaye Thiam, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, aims to develop a vaccine that targets a different stage of the malaria parasite’s life cycle. Thiam and his team are examining antibodies from individuals who have developed immunity to malaria to identify protective antigens.
While Bei’s biomarker research and Thiam’s vaccine development efforts are distinct, they aim to create a comprehensive approach to understanding and controlling malaria. Thiam remarked on the devastating toll of malaria, noting, “Having suffered from that, and also being close to kids and infants that are suffering … you can see that it has a huge impact.”
For many researchers involved in malaria studies, the challenges faced due to funding cuts highlight the critical need for ongoing investment in public health research. As Cyrianne Keutcha, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale, pointed out, the knowledge gained from malaria research can also benefit the understanding of other diseases prevalent in the U.S. She emphasized, “You are investing in knowledge that can significantly improve the wellbeing of a group of people that you may not know.”
The current funding landscape poses significant challenges to vital research that addresses pressing public health issues, underscoring the interconnectedness of global health challenges and the importance of sustained investment in scientific inquiry.
