title: The kidney research predicament.
abstract: Research funding from public and private sources has reached an all-time low. Economic conditions, sequestration, and a trend of low award success rates have created an imbalance between the supply of highly qualified research investigators and the availability of critically necessary research dollars. This grim environment continues to hinder the success of established investigators and deter potential investigators from joining the research workforce. Without action and support of innovative science, the future of the US health care system is in jeopardy, and its leadership role in medical research will decrease. This work discusses the effects of the decline in research funding, the plight of kidney research, and the impact of the American Society of Nephrology Grants Program on scientists. The ASN also calls on the entire nephrology community to rejuvenate the research environment, improve the lives of millions of people with kidney disease, and ultimately, find a cure.
authors.affiliation: American Society of Nephrology, Washington, DC;
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.affiliation: American Society of Nephrology, Washington, DC;
authors.forename: Tod
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Nashville Veterans Affairs Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee; roy.zent@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zent
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital, Chicago, Illinois; and Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D005381:Financing, Organized; D006801:Humans; D009398:Nephrology / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*
keywords: Epidemiology and outcomes; kidney disease; survival