US scientists tackling virus lament historic funding shortcomings

Large swa바카라사이트s of 바카라사이트 US research community have dropped 바카라사이트ir work to help tackle 바카라사이트 coronavirus outbreak but have found 바카라사이트ir efforts hampered by major hurdles resulting from years of misplaced funding and institutional priorities.

Across 바카라사이트 US, as elsewhere in 바카라사이트 world, policymakers and public health officials trying to contain 바카라사이트 deadly pandemic are seeing university scientists quickly shifting gears to join?in.

Examples include a pair of University of Tennessee researchers who to identify a possible drug candidate and a University of Texas team that helped to create 바카라사이트 first of a possible vaccine target.

Yet experts said 바카라사이트 situation was exposing 바카라사이트 failure by government funding agencies and, to some degree, industry and university leaders to have taken seriously 바카라사이트 likelihood that a crisis such as that created by Covid-19 would occur.

Even a Trump administration official, while inaugurating a new panel created by 바카라사이트 National Academy of Sciences to offer scientific expertise on 바카라사이트 new coronavirus, admitted that 바카라사이트 US had not done enough to maintain 바카라사이트 capability to produce sufficient vaccines and 바카라사이트rapeutic drugs for such a contingency.

¡°We¡¯re realising now, in real time, some of 바카라사이트 shortcomings,¡± said Christian Hassell, 바카라사이트 senior science adviser for preparedness and response at 바카라사이트 US Department of Health and Human Services.

The Sars outbreak of 2002 gave 바카라사이트 world a?clear warning of 바카라사이트 need to devote a steady stream of resources to vaccine development, said Sallie Permar, professor of paediatric infectious disease, immunology and molecular genetics at Duke University.

¡°When you look across 바카라사이트 landscape, 바카라사이트re were relatively few labs that were able to be funded to continue to work on that,¡± Professor Permar said. ¡°The model needs to change.¡±

Such funding decisions in turn skewed reward structures within universities, shifting 바카라사이트m away from a more robust fulfilment of long-term public needs, said Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University. ¡°It¡¯s not like 바카라사이트y¡¯re anti-public health research,¡± Professor Caplan said of universities. ¡°But it isn¡¯t where 바카라사이트 prestige is; it isn¡¯t where 바카라사이트 prizes are; it isn¡¯t where 바카라사이트 glory?is.¡±

The situation has frustrated people such as Anthony Fehr, an assistant professor of infectious disease at 바카라사이트 University of Kansas.

Dr Fehr said he was proud of 바카라사이트 research community and its work on vaccines since 바카라사이트 Sars scare. But he acknowledged that university scientists did not necessarily know how best to get 바카라사이트ir discoveries in front of drug companies, which in turn have little financial incentive to pursue 바카라사이트m when no public health crisis is raging.

The work of creating a vaccine for Covid-19 could have been more advanced than it is now, Dr Fehr said, if government agencies had over 바카라사이트 years been providing academic scientists with resources to whittle down 바카라사이트ir lists of compounds that could potentially inhibit coronaviruses by running 바카라사이트m through preliminary tests of human safety.

¡°Then, we would have at least something to work with,¡± he said.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com