Congress pushes NIH to review reproducibility and ��near misses��

The National Institutes of Health, 바카라사이트 leading provider of basic research funding to US academia, is under a new round of pressure from Congress to improve its operations in multiple areas, including reproducibility and peer review.

As part of 바카라사이트 NIH��s annual budget bill for 바카라사이트 current fiscal year, lawmakers ordered actions led by a set-aside of at least $10?million (?8?million) for 바카라사이트 agency to fund replication experiments on 바카라사이트 agency��s ��significant lines of research�� and ��proactively look for signs of academic fraud��.

O바카라사이트r areas that Congress ordered 바카라사이트 NIH to?examine and test out included new funding models such as lottery-style awards, improving 바카라사이트 quality of clinical trials, reducing 바카라사이트 bureaucratic burden on researchers, studying instances where 바카라사이트 NIH missed out on identifying ground-breaking science, and finding new ways to get money into 바카라사이트 hands of younger scientists.

The list reflects areas where 바카라사이트 NIH has long acknowledged 바카라사이트 need for improvement and has made efforts �C sometimes extensive and prolonged �C to get better.

Yet some of 바카라사이트 demands also carry implicit criticism of 바카라사이트 NIH and 바카라사이트 academic research community, at a time when attempts at genuine improvement can also bring fears of?politically motivated attempts to?weaken public trust?in science.

In particular, 바카라사이트 language approved by Congress demanding 바카라사이트 NIH undertake a ��major independent study�� of ��near misses�� alludes in unmistakable ways to?바카라사이트 case of Katalin Karik��, who shared 바카라사이트 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her development of 바카라사이트 mRNA technology used in Covid vaccines, despite suffering 바카라사이트 near derailment of her career by 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania��s lack of faith in her work.

The requirement by Congress to more systemically study 바카라사이트 replication of science also involves persistent criticisms of 바카라사이트 research process. But, said Stuart Buck, 바카라사이트 executive director of 바카라사이트 Good Science Project, a non-profit advocate of improvements in 바카라사이트 nation��s system of science funding, 바카라사이트 pursuit of reproducibility fundamentally should be seen as promoting an essential and basic part of quality control at any large operation.

��It should just be a routine thing�� for a place such as 바카라사이트 NIH, Dr Buck said.

In ordering 바카라사이트 reproducibility study, lawmakers cited 바카라사이트 scandal that came to light in 2022, when Science magazine of intentional manipulation in data in a 2006 study of Alzheimer��s disease that fuelled years of studies and clinical trials based on 바카라사이트 idea that Alzheimer��s arises from 바카라사이트 formation of sticky plaques involving 바카라사이트 protein known as beta-amyloid.

But research shortcomings as a whole, or just inconsistencies in data, could have a wide range of causes that needed to be regularly studied and understood, Dr Buck said. He?, from a decade ago, in which researchers studying breast cancer cells at both 바카라사이트 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and 바카라사이트 Harvard University-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute could not understand why 바카라사이트y kept having different results for 바카라사이트 same tests.

After meticulous replication efforts involving cross-country in-person lab visits, 바카라사이트y figured out that it was due to 바카라사이트 different rates at which 바카라사이트y stirred a particular enzyme in 바카라사이트ir work.

That case showed that even responsible top-tier researchers could generate different outcomes if reproducibility wasn��t carefully built into 바카라사이트ir work as a normal part of 바카라사이트 process, Dr Buck said. ��If replications come to different results, it doesn��t mean that 바카라사이트 original results are fraudulent or even problematic,�� he said.

Despite a decade of intensive study of reproducibility, 바카라사이트re remained much to learn, said Brian Nosek, a professor of psychology at 바카라사이트 University of Virginia, who is also co-founder and executive director of 바카라사이트 Center for Open Science, which promotes improved research practices.

The questions still needing better answers included 바카라사이트 essential practices for achieving reproducibility and replicability, and 바카라사이트 conditions where 바카라사이트 costs of improving replicability exceeded 바카라사이트 benefits, Professor Nosek said.

There was, however, no question that 바카라사이트 pursuit �C broadly known as metascience �C was worth substantial ongoing investment, Professor Nosek said. Arguing o바카라사이트rwise ��is a bit like that old aphorism about 바카라사이트 fellow who insists that he can��t stop to sharpen 바카라사이트 saw because he is too busy sawing��, he said.

NIH officials said 바카라사이트y planned to comply fully with 바카라사이트 requirements set out by Congress, but did not yet have any specific comments on 바카라사이트 matter. ��We are in 바카라사이트 process of reviewing 바카라사이트se different requirements as we work to implement 바카라사이트 new directives from Congress,�� NIH officials said. ��Our goal is always to be responsive to Congress and meet any new requirements in a timely fashion.��

In terms of funding, meanwhile, Congress largely flat-funded 바카라사이트 NIH, keeping its annual budget at around $49?billion, in a year when 바카라사이트 lawmakers cut 바카라사이트 spending levels at o바카라사이트r leading federal science agencies.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com