Last week, I had the privilege of attending a webinar organized by Research!America titled Partnership, Progress, Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Discovery. As implied in the title, the primary focus of the webinar session was to discuss how the ongoing coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has affected ongoing medical research, from rare diseases to cancer and more.
The webinar was hosted by 4 panelists and a moderator:
- Sudip Parikh, PhD, is the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and served as moderator.
- Dr. Ned Sharpless, Director of National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Jenny Luray, MPA, VP of Strategy and Communications at Research!America
- Eleanor Perfetto, PhD, MS, EVP of Strategic Initiatives at the National Health Council
- Heather Pierce, JD, MPH, Senior Director for Science Policy and Regulatory Counsel at the Association of American Medical Colleges
Medical Research and COVID-19: A Long Road Ahead
A universally acknowledged fact among all of the panelists was the grim reality that the pandemic had effectively halted the majority of medical research, including research into critical public health problems and diseases. A lot of funding for research has either been cut or lost completely, and there will be some projects that will face huge delays or may never get completed.
Getting research going again is going to require organization and collaboration at all levels of government. It is estimated that the cost of getting research projects going to pre-pandemic levels could cost as much as $26 billion.
There are a variety of challenges that still remain before this can begin. First and foremost, the pandemic is far from over despite the fact that some businesses and economic activity has resumed. A second wave in the fall or winter could be more severe than what we have dealt with so far. With this in mind, many of the world’s most experienced researchers and scientists are now focused on the coronavirus, either in developing treatments or vaccines, serving directly on the front lines, or studying other aspects of the virus. This means that fewer scientists are available for other projects. Labs have also been affected by PPE and other essential equipment shortages; many donated their supplies to hospitals and have yet to find a way to resupply themselves.
Lack of funding makes all of these difficulties even more serious. Fundraising has been a major challenge since the pandemic began, with many patient organizations facing empty coffers. In fact, some of these groups ultimately may not be able to continue long term operations. The pandemic has demonstrated the need for greater organizational flexibility and has allowed the possibilities of telehealth and virtual events to be put on full display.
There is no denying that research and trial disruptions are going to have direct impacts that affect the lives of patients. The medical research field is in a difficult place where the best option is to do as much as possible to mitigate these impacts. The continued presence of patient organizations is also important as they provide a trusted resource for patients that companies and the government will never replace.
It’s tough to say what the future of medical research holds. While many of the panelists are hopeful that a return to something resembling normalcy is possible, we simply are not out of the woods yet; a strong second outbreak of COVID-19 in the fall or winter could cause further delays and disruptions.
