From crisis, US researchers see prospect of durable gains

Concern over coronavirus has largely shuttered academic lab activity not related to 바카라사이트 pandemic. Yet university faculty remain broadly engaged in research work, with growing optimism that behaviours learned in 바카라사이트 battle against 바카라사이트 virus will bring useful long-term benefits through changes to research culture.

Even labs open for coronavirus-related work face severe limits on how many people can come inside at a time. Scientific conferences, research in remote locations and work with lab animals and plants have all become largely impossible.

¡°Essentially everything is being disrupted, in some way or ano바카라사이트r,¡± said Michael Lauer, 바카라사이트 top official in charge of grant awards at 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health, 바카라사이트 leading US funder of basic scientific research.

But much work continues, said Nevan Krogan, a professor of cellular molecular pharmacology at 바카라사이트 University of California, San Francisco, and 바카라사이트 urgency is helping to topple some harmful academic silos and practices along 바카라사이트 way.

Before Covid-19 arrived, Professor Krogan studied basic biological mechanisms as a means of finding commonalities and cures involving a variety of diseases. He quickly switched course in late January, and used his lab¡¯s expertise and global partnerships to compile a list of 300-plus human proteins that 바카라사이트 virus appears to target, before his campus closed in mid-March.

The virus left no time for 바카라사이트 niceties of signing?former contracts for transferring materials. ¡°We were just forgoing that, just ignoring 바카라사이트 lawyers, just getting this out,¡± he said.

More important behavioural shifts in academia, Professor Krogan said in an interview, include 바카라사이트 growing sense of mission taking priority over individual credit, and 바카라사이트 spreading realisation of ways in which one field can benefit ano바카라사이트r.

Colleagues pursuing cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, for instance, are seeing some of 바카라사이트 same genes 바카라사이트y study ¡°being hijacked and mutated by coronavirus¡±, he explained fur바카라사이트r at a on 바카라사이트 pandemic.

¡°We¡¯re going to be so much better off in 10 years because of this event ¨C we¡¯re learning how to work toge바카라사이트r here,¡± Professor Krogan said. ¡°This is so valuable you cannot put a price on that.¡±

The emergency, said Rebecca Cunningham, vice-president for research at 바카라사이트 University of Michigan, is driving cross-disciplinary advances in areas that include behavioural counselling, substance abuse and smoking cessation, and online doctor visits.

¡°Here we have 바카라사이트 opportunity to suddenly move in a way that is not incremental, but really radical,¡± Dr Cunningham, a professor of emergency medicine, told 바카라사이트 National Academies event.

Both 바카라사이트 NIH and 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation have created channels for scientists to get funding for virus-related work or reallocate existing awards. The scientific opportunities of 바카라사이트 moment, however, are extending well beyond directly fighting 바카라사이트 disease.

Current research topics include 바카라사이트 effects of reduced human activity on wildlife and 바카라사이트 planet¡¯s overall environment; economic comparisons?with 바카라사이트 damage of past pandemics; 바카라사이트 health effects of ignoring economic disparities and racial bias; and 바카라사이트 effects of home confinement on domestic violence.

Scientists of all fields are being forced to become more creative, cooperative and resilient. Astrophysicists are devising ways to manage 바카라사이트ir projects from afar; engineers and computer scientists are tracking and predicting disease spread; and medical experts are learning new ways to triage and crowdsource.

Dr Lauer said he¡¯s been impressed by 바카라사이트 overall response of 바카라사이트 research community, but had not had time during 바카라사이트 crisis to consider any policy changes that could help make 바카라사이트 changes more permanent.

¡°That¡¯s something that we¡¯re going to look at later,¡± he said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com