PrakashLab

The stress has been immense. To try and save my lab, I wrote five R01 grants in three weeks, running on fumes and sleeping as little as 2.5 hours a night. This is the human cost of such unpredictable funding decisions. 10/15

My lab’s 5-year NIH R01 grant, awarded to study gene therapy for hearing loss, was abruptly terminated. I want to share how this action has been incredibly harmful and disruptive, not just to my lab, but to the scientific process itself. 1/15

A little over two years ago, I was ecstatic to receive my very first R01 grant from the NIDCD. Our research focuses on restoring hearing by targeting the underlying mechanisms of stereocilia elongation, a subject I've dedicated my career to since my PhD. 2/15

The grant was funded through a specific NIDCD RFA to promote "workforce diversity." As someone with congenital severe-to-profound hearing loss, I was eligible. A researcher with hearing loss, studying hearing loss, at the National Institute on Deafness... it felt right. 3/15

I was aware that DEI-related initiatives could become political targets. However, I never imagined that a grant, once awarded and actively running, would be canceled mid-stream. This is a move that, to my knowledge, is unprecedented outside of scientific misconduct cases. 4/15

Our 3rd year of funding was expected on 4/1. When it didn't arrive, I tried to stay optimistic, as delays can happen. My emails to NIH contacts went unanswered as they were on a "communication lockdown." We were operating on funds that, I would soon learn, no longer existed. 5/15

On May 27th, I received an email asking for closeout forms for our grant. That's how we found out it was canceled—not through a direct notice, but through a bureaucratic request, nearly two months after the funding was supposed to have arrived. 6/15

The termination letter stated our project was being ended because "Research programs based primarily on artificial and non-scientific categories, including amorphous equity objectives, are antithetical to the scientific inquiry" and "provide low returns on investment." 7/15

"Low returns on investment?" In just two years, this grant helped support the publication of about 10 scientific papers. Our work aims to address hearing loss, a condition affecting >40 million Americans and the number one modifiable risk factor for dementia. 8/15

The devastating irony is that while I will likely weather this storm, the people who will suffer the most are the trainees in my lab. Their positions are now at risk due to a decision tied to a "DEI" grant they had no part in writing. 9/15

This action has shattered the NIH's credibility. How can labs and universities trust the system and "pre-spend" on awarded grants when a funding promise can be revoked without warning? The foundation of trust is broken. 11/15

This experience has crystallized for me that I must diversify our funding sources. The days of relying solely on a single NIH grant to sustain a lab are likely over. Academic-industry partnerships are a promising path forward, and I now plan to start my own company. 12/15

Despite the bitterness and anxiety, I am more resolved than ever. I began my journey in 2002 with the dream of one day running my own lab. Now, 23 years later, I'm at my dream university, surrounded by brilliant scientists. 13/15

I don't know if my lab will survive this. But our passion for discovery and improving lives remains. Science is America's best bet, and we must invest in it intelligently to secure our future as a leader in innovation and health. 14/15

Regardless of where you stand on DEI, we all agree that politics shouldn't derail life-saving research. When science funding becomes a political beach ball, we all lose. We must find a way to keep research focused on what matters: finding cures that help every American. 15/15

A great morning with the @MBLScience Physiology students after my talk today.

The one and only Manu @PrakashLab inspires us all at this morning's @MBLScience Physiology lecture

Listen to this podcast to learn how you can help contribute to Manu's plan to see every (microscopic) creature on Earth! Then get out there and explore your world with your Foldscope! foldscope.com #MagnifyCuriosity #EquityAndAccess #Microscopy #Science

Adventures In Microscopy: Tomato Pollen The tomato plants are in full bloom which means there is lots of pollen for me to look at with my Foldscope 2.0. Enjoy! (140X plus 5X zoom) #FearlessMicroscopy #STEAM #GardenMicroscopy #ScienceIsFun

Thanks to incredible @flichtman for this heartfelt conversation - that was a wonderful walk down the memory lane. Many more adventures ahead. @TeamFoldscope