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Friday, April 12, 2013

Obama unveils $100 million initiative to map the human brain.


President Obama on Tuesday unveiled a $100 initiative aimed at mapping the human brain. Obama cast the initiative as "the next great American project," and said the proposal could strengthen the economy and lead to cures for neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, autism, and post-traumatic brain syndrome. Two of the three network news broadcasts covered the announcement, dedicating two minutes and 40 seconds of coverage to the story. In addition, several major papers cover the story this morning. The CBS Evening News (4/2, story 11, 2:10, Pelley, 5.58M) reported, "The partnership between government, private industry, and universities is so ambitious it could take a century to complete and cost billions more."
        NBC Nightly News (4/2, story 5, 0:30, Williams, 7.86M) reported, "Scientists say they welcome the chance to spend money on research at a time when science budgets are getting squeezed. But it's not clear whether Congress will actually approve this spending."
        Bloomberg News (4/3, Pettypiece, Cortez, Runningen) reports that in announcing the initiative, Obama "cited government research that spun out new discoveries and jobs, such as computer chips, GPS technology and the Internet. 'Ideas are what power our economy,' Obama said. 'We do innovation better than anybody else, and that makes our economy stronger.'"
        The Washington Post (4/2, Wilson, 489K) notes that Obama "has spoken frequently during his presidency, including in his most recent State of the Union address, about using federal money in partnership with academia and business to foster projects with broader economic and social benefits. And the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative represents one of Obama's most ambitious efforts to do so." However, the $100 million Obama will propose for the effort in his budget next week "would probably represent only seed money for a project that could take more than a decade to complete, as was the case with the program to map the human genome, another collaboration between the federal government and the private sector."
        The Wall Street Journal (4/3, A4, Naik, Ackerman, Subscription Publication, 2.29M) notes that Obama acknowledged that securing funding for the initiative could be difficult in Washington's current budget environment, saying, "None of this will be easy. ... But think about what we could do once we do crack this code."
        Politico (4/3, Meyers, 25K) reports, "Obama's announcement served to underscore the research and development commitment he reinforced in February's State of the Union speech." The project is "one of the administration's so-called Grand Challenges. The initiative will require development of nonexistent technologies so researchers can map brain circuits and watch millions of cells in action." In his announcement, Obama also "tied investment in research to middle-class job growth. And he warned of the damage impending across-the-board cuts could have on these opportunities."
        Roll Call (4/3, Subscription Publication, 19K) reports that the proposal, which the President "previewed in the State of the Union address, includes $40 million for research at the National Institutes of Health, $50 million at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and $20 million for the National Science Foundation." Roll Call notes that Obama "will have to get that request through Congress, however - and those agencies are already seeing research cuts under the sequester." Roll Call also notes that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor "said in a statement that while he supports brain research, it should be paid for by cutting other science accounts."
        The Hill (4/3, Easley, 21K) also notes Cantor's statement on the proposal, reporting that he "endorsed the new initiative," saying, "Mapping the human brain is exactly the type of research we should be funding, by reprioritizing the $250 million we currently spend on political and social science research into expanded medical research, including the expedited mapping of the human brain. ... It's great science."
        Gingrich Endorses Obama Proposal. Politico (4/3, Slack, 25K) reports that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has endorsed Obama's proposal, saying in a statement, "President Obama is taking a very important step toward the most dramatic breakthroughs in human health. Brain research is vital for Autism, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, Parkinson's, traumatic brain injury, mental health, and a host of other concerns."
        NYTimes: Obama proposal is a "big leap forward." An editorial in the New York Times (4/3, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) calls Obama's proposal "a modest but welcome start for an effort that could transform our understanding of how the brain works and help researchers find new ways to treat and prevent brain disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer's." The Times adds that while some researchers "think a higher level of financing - perhaps $300 million in federal support annually - will be needed over the next decade to make substantial progress," for now the President's "challenge to the nation's research community to get started is a big leap forward."

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