The Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (FNIDCR) online newsletter is a membership benefit. Permission is granted to repost this publication only with inclusion of the header. Past issues are posted at http://www.fnidcr.org/newsletters/index.html.

Washington Update

First 100 Days to Indicate Priority of Medical Research
High expectations arise when any new president of the United States is elected. How will we know if medical research will be a priority of the new administration?

Executive Branch
President’s Address & 2010 Budget to
Set the Tone
At a recent public advocacy conference hosted by the Society of Neuroscience, former Congressman John Porter of Illinois, a champion of NIH, offered that there will be two telling initial indicators: President Obama’s first State of the Union Address and the president’s FY10 budget. As we all saw and heard on Inauguration Day, the former has set the agenda for the country, while the latter will demonstrate how strong a commitment to funding science there will be.
Click here to view a video of the conference.

Moreover, the President’s budget bears significant meaning especially because the executive and legislative branches are in Democratic hands. Sustained, increased funding for NIH would be a welcomed sign to see.  He releases his budget in February.

Varmus Appointment:
A Positive Sign for Research
Finally, the relatively quick appointments of presidential science advisers in December by President Obama, including former NIH Director and champion of research Dr. Harold Varmus, are positive signals.

Legislative Branch
NIH Funding: Friends of NIDCR Asks for $10 Billion for NIH in Stimulus Bill
In the first three months of 2009, Congress will make funding decisions that will impact the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).

First, Congress is working on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or “stimulus package.” Initial attempts to pass an Economic Recovery Bill in the waning days of the 110th Congress failed, and in the Senate’s unsuccessful version, $1.2 billion was authorized for NIH. Therefore, the stimulus currently being debated presents an opportunity to rectify the insufficient levels of funding appropriated to NIH over the past six years.

FNIDCR President Dr. Bruce Donoff wrote to President Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to address this issue, urging both leaders to ensure that NIH is included as part of the economic stimulus package, and requesting $10 billion to recover losses of the past six years of flat-funding. Early indications from the House’s version are that $1.5 billion will be included for medical research at NIH. The Senate is working on its version.

Congressional leaders are aiming to have the stimulus package presented to President Obama for signature by the February Presidents’ Day recess.

Educating More Than 60 New Members of Congress
A Task Friends of NIDCR to Assume
The 111th Congress will have many new faces—more than 60 new members—all of whom need to be educated about the importance of oral health research to the everyday lives of Americans. Moreover, veteran members of Congress must be made aware of the value of sustained, increased funding for NIH and NIDCR. The need to cultivate more champions on Capitol Hill is also a task we must and will assume. This makes the 2009 NIDCR Patient Advocates’ Forum, and related Capitol Hill activities April 21-23, 2009, a must for Friends of NIDCR members to attend. More information is coming soon.

All Oral Health Caucus Members Win Re-election
In November, the Friends of NIDCR sent congratulatory letters to members of Congress who comprise the Congressional Oral Health Caucus on their re-elections. “We thanked them for their steadfast interest in oral health issues and provided them with a legislative agenda for the 111th Congress,” said Executive Director Peter Anas. “We look forward to continuing our working relationship with them.” The Congressional Oral Health Caucus has a bipartisan membership comprised of eight U.S. representatives. For a listing, please click here.

Resolving the FY09 Spending Bills
Secondly, Congress will have to address FY09 spending levels for a multitude of agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, and hence, NIH. The 110th Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that kept spending levels for NIH at current levels. When the CR expires on March 6, 2009, Congress and President Obama will determine funding levels for the balance of FY09.

Will we see increases? If so, how much? Appropriations legislation that stalled last year in both chambers of Congress would have boosted spending for NIH by $1.15 billion had it been passed. Moreover, NIDCR saw increases as well. Hopefully, this bodes well for future appropriations legislation.

SCHIP Expansion: First Step of Health Care Reform
With a new Administration forthcoming, the House quickly passed expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on January 15, 2009. The legislation includes dental coverage. The Senate is working on its version. This is viewed as the first step of an incremental approach to health care reform. President Bush’s extension of SCHIP expires March 31, 2009.

NIDCR Supported Research

Researchers Open the Gates
Numerous physiological processes, including salivary secretion, are regulated by calcium signaling. Scientists have discovered a novel mechanism involved in regulating the process. Click here to read the full summary.

Study Links Oral Bacteria and VAP
Every day in emergency rooms across America, hospital staff must insert plastic ventilation tubes into the airways of their sick or severely injured patients to keep them breathing. Unfortunately for those who have the tubes in place for 48 hours or longer, at least one in 10 will develop a bacterial infection in their lungs. In some cases, the resulting pneumonia will prove fatal. In others, the infection – known as ventilator-associated pneumonia or VAP - will prolong the patient’s hospital stay from two weeks to a month on average, often resulting in extra hospital fees of $40,000 or more.

Where do the bacteria come from? One strong possibility is the mouth. Studies suggest that opportunistic respiratory pathogens first colonize the teeth and then migrate into the lower airway, colonize the ventilator tubes, and infect the lungs. Now, in the December 15 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, NIDCR grantees add compelling evidence to support the oral bacteria-VAP link. Read more about this paper.

News

Dr. Lawrence Tabak Appointed
Acting Principal Deputy Director of NIH
With the departure of Dr. Elias Zerhouni in October, his principal deputy, Dr. Raynard Kington, was appointed Acting Director of NIH. On November 12, Dr. Kington appointed Dr. Lawrence Tabak as Acting Principal Deputy Director of NIH. While serving in this temporary role, Dr. Tabak will continue to direct the NIDCR.

A Moment of Tooth:
Advances to Re-grow Decaying Choppers
Offer More to Chew On Than You'd Think
The NIDCR, along with FNIDCR member - University of Alabama, are featured in this front page article in the Washington Post. Click here to read the article.

Help the Future of Oral Research
These are critical times for the future of oral health research. For the past five years, federal funding of the National Institutes of Health, in general, has failed to keep up with biomedical inflation rates placing our nation at tremendous risk. The funding story for the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research is even worse as its budget percentage increase has been far below that of other Institutes during the past decade.

This lack of federal funding means less grants for the talented researchers and scientists at NIDCR and other research facilities around the country. It is a national crisis and a national disgrace.

A New Administration & Congress
A great opportunity to impact policy in Washington is presented with the start of a new administration and Congress in 2009. Therefore, each and every voice we add to this worthy cause, including yours, helps to amplify our collective message:

How Can You Help?
Start by becoming a member of the Friends of NIDCR. As a member, you, your company or your organization can play a significant role to ensure Washington remains committed to properly funding medical research at NIH and NIDCR

For more info on the Friends of NIDCR, click here.

For a membership application, click here.