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As printed in Hearing Health, volume 19:1,
Spring 2003
By Marin P. Allen, Ph.D.
This year, the National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) celebrates 15
years of funding biomedical and behavioral research
in the normal and disordered processes of human communication.
When Congress authorized this addition to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1988, the country immediately
gained a focal point for supporting and conducting basic,
clinical and translational research in hearing, balance,
smell, taste, voice, speech and language. Before that
time, scientific investigators, who had demonstrated
the power of their initial work in these areas, were
funded by a variety of institutes within the NIH. With
NIDCD, communication research found a “scientific
home” and a staff dedicated to nurturing it.
Also prior to the launch of NIDCD, and continuing
to this day, smaller private organizations were the
principal sources of financial support for scientists
beginning their careers or expanding their research
arenas. For example, Deafness Research Foundation noted
recently that, on average, 25 percent of its grantees
immediately obtain subsequent support from NIDCD. The
National Organization for Hearing Research, the American
Tinnitus Association, the Stuttering Foundation of America
and others have participated as “angels”
in this critical role of establishing scientists and
their science.
During its growing years, NIDCD collaborated in the
development of a significant infrastructure of resources
now available for use by the broader scientific community.
They include model organisms, the hereditary hearing
loss home page, Ear Libraries on NEIBank, the Mouse
Initiative and the NIH stem cell research initiative.
NIDCD Director Jim Battey led several of these important
efforts including the Trans-NIH Mouse Genome and Genetics
Coordinating Group.
In 2002, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, director of NIH, asked
Dr. Battey to head NIH’s stem cell task force.
The group’s responsibilities are to enable and
accelerate the pace of stem cell research by identifying
challenges (both human and material) and to develop
initiatives to enhance resources. The companion charge
is to seek the advice of scientific leaders in the study
of stem cells about the challenges to moving the research
agenda forward and identify strategies NIH may pursue
to overcome these challenges.
Dr. Battey has sought input throughout the scientific
community and has established a series of working groups
to expedite progress across fields and disciplines.
Stem cell research has the extraordinary potential to
reveal the earliest signaling capabilities of cells.
Current research related to Parkinson’s, macular
degeneration and diabetes show promise.
As we look along the road ahead, the community has
identified areas to be explored through a strategic
plan: (1) we need to know more about the genetic and
non-genetic causes of disease and disability; (2) we
need scientists who will study the development, deterioration,
regeneration and plasticity of sensory communication
processes in order to understand how to repair or renew
sensory mechanisms; (3) we need investigators trained
to study perceptual and cognitive processing; (4) we
need to foster researchers who will develop and improve
devices, pharmacologic agents and strategies for habilitation
and rehabilitation of communication disorders; and we
need citizens who support scientific research and who
participate in the promise of research.
With high competition for resources, it is most important
that on the “lifeline of research” we work
together to ensure that no good idea goes untested and
no outstanding scientist is lost to the pursuit.
Marin P. Allen, Ph.D., is the Communication Director
and Chief of NIDCD’s Office of Health Communication
and Public Liaison. Visit www.nidcd.nih.gov
for more information. |
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