Must reads

• An October 2, 2014 New York Times opinion piece by Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) called for better utilization of NIH funds to support younger researchers working in priority areas like Alzheimer's. According to Rep. Harris, "A study for the National Bureau of Economic Research from 2005 examined the age at which over 2,000 Nobel Prize winners and other notable scientists in the 20th century came up with the idea that led to their breakthrough. Most were between 35 and 39. Yet the median age of first-time recipients of R01 grants, the most common and sought-after form of N.I.H. funding, is 42, while the median age of all recipients is 52. More people over 65 are funded with research grants than those under age 35…We’ll never know what breakthroughs were missed because young investigators were not provided with the resources necessary to pursue unique ideas over the last 15 years. They may have had the idea that would have led to a cure for ovarian cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or pediatric cardiomyopathy…The federal government, through the N.I.H., is and should remain a vital source of funding for cutting-edge research. But for that very reason, it’s not enough to throw money at researchers, especially when it goes to people who, though well-regarded in their fields, are past the age when they are most likely to make a significant contribution to science. Doing a better job of targeting good researchers who are doing valuable work in the prime of their careers can ensure that taxpayer money is well spent, and that science as a whole continues to benefit us all."