HUM-MOLGEN archive: NEWS: in Bioscience and Medicine

************************************************************** HUM-MOLGEN News in Bioscience and Medicine ************************************************************** <http://www.informatik.uni-rostock.de/HUM-MOLGEN/NewsGen/> <http://www.informatik.uni-rostock.de/HUM-MOLGEN/> 1 | The TIGR Human cDNA Database (HCD) 2 | An Open Access On-Line Breast Cancer Mutation Data Base 3 | American Heart Association journals online 4 | The FASEB Journal 5 | To: Members of the Congressional Liaison-Committee Re: NIH Funding Letter-Immediate Action Needed 6 | How to announce new Internet resources, press releases etc. ************************************************************** 1 | The TIGR Human cDNA Database (HCD) The TIGR Human cDNA Database (HCD) provides researchers at non-profit institutions access to cDNA/EST sequence and related data from The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and Human Genome Sciences (HGS). HCD is designed to promote research using these data while protecting intellectual property rights of their discoverers. In addition, ESTs from world-wide EST projects have been incorporated into HCD and are added to the database on a regular basis. The data are curated and maintained at The Institute for Genomic Research where the system is also operated and managed. An initial analysis of these data has been published (Initial assesment of human gene diversity and expression patterns based upon 83 million nucleotides of cDNA sequence, Adams et al., Nature (1995) 377(Suppl): 3-174). You may search the putative identifications of ESTs and THCs from the Nature Genome Directory. < http://www.tigr.org/tdb/hcd/hcd.html > < http://www.tigr.org/tdb/hcd/nature_paper/nature_paper.html > -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 | An Open Access On-Line Breast Cancer Mutation Data Base This Breast Cancer Information Core has been established to facilitate the detection and characterization of breast cancer susceptibility genes. It has been set up to be a repository for all mutations and polymorphisms in these genes. More importantly, it is meant to provide help in the form of techniques, primers, and support to those carrying out the lab work. By having access be through membership it is hoped that it will be a place where mutations found yet not necessarily already published can be accessible to others working in the field. < http://www.nchgr.nih.gov/dir/lab_transfer/bic/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 | American Heart Association journals online The American Heart Association, one of the world's premier health organizations, is committed to reducing disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Art., Thromb., and Vasc. Bio.: http://www.at-home.com/amhrt/ARTER/issues.html Circulation: http://www.at-home.com/amhrt/CIRC/issues.html Circulation Research: http://www.at-home.com/amhrt/CRES/issues.html Stroke: http://www.at-home.com/amhrt/STROKE/issues.html Hypertension: http://www.at-home.com/amhrt/HYPER/issues.html -------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 | The FASEB Journal owns his own WWW page (including TOC and abstracts). This service is part of the FASEB information services. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biologyhics is the largest coalition of life sciences societies in the United States, and represents over 42,000 biomedical and biological scientists. < http://www.at-home.com/amhrt/HYPER/issues.html > < http://www.faseb.org/ > -------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 | date: Tue, 7/Nov/1995 | E-mail: kathy@ascb.faseb.org ---- November 8, 1995 To: Members of the Congressional Liaison-Committee From: Joint Steering Committee for Public Policy Re: NIH Funding Letter-Immediate Action Needed THE ISSUE In response to the current budget impasse, the co-chairs of the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter on the NIH budget situation. The letter was circulated by Reps. George Gekas (R-PA), Bill Richardson (D-NM), and Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and asks that the NIH be a top priority during budget negotiations and be funded at the highest possible level for FY'96. ACTION NEEDED CLC members are asked to contact their Representatives now through December 1 to ask that they sign the "Dear Colleague" letter in support of increased funding for the NIH. Please call the Capitol switchboard (tel: 202/224-3121) to connect to your Representative's office. Ask that the Congressman/woman contact Seth Johnson in Congressman Gekas' office at 202/225-4315. The following Members have already signed the "Dear Colleague" letter: Porter (R-IL), Coyne (D-PA), Nethercutt (R-WA), Klug (R-WI), Fowler (R-FL), Clayton (D-NC), Pallone (D-NJ), Bentsen (D-TX), Morella (R-MD), Cunningham (R-CA), Clayton (D-NC), Davis (R-VA), Fox (R-PA), Olver (D-MA), Maloney (D-NY), Hall (D-OH), DeFazio (D-OR), Frank (D-MA), Markey (D-MA), Dellums (D-CA), McDermott (D-WA), Meehan (D-MA), and Dingell (D-MI). Dear Colleague: We are deeply concerned that the 5.7% FY'96 funding increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) passed by the House may be permanently delayed by the application of an across the board funding formula in any Continuing Resolution for Appropriations (CR). Under the current operating CR until Nov. 13th, the NIH is now funded by a 5% decease in funds from the FY'95 funding level. The NIH is a program that all parties in the budget negotiations-- the Administration, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees- -agreed was among the highest funding priorities for FY'96. It is foreseeable that the NIH may continue to be funded at the reduced level of 95% of last year's funds throughout FY'96. This would seriously jeopardize our progress in biomedical research and produce a result that no one supported. We are asking you to join us in the attached letter to President Clinton, Speaker Gingrich, Chairman Livingston, Senate Majority Leader Dole, and Chairman Hatfield. Please contact Seth Johnson at 225-4315 if you would like to sign on to the letter. (Signed) George Gekas, Bill Richardson, Cliff Stearns Excerpts of the letter to be signed by your Member of Congress follow: Dear____: We are concerned about the current funding situation for the NIH. The NIH. The NIH is a world leader in biomedical research. Its programs enjoy the broad bipartisan support of both the Congress and the American public. The Administration, as well as the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, all recommended FY'96 funding increases for the NIH, but the current CR reduces NIH funding to 95% of the FY'95 funding level. This reduction is unnecessary to achieve a balanced budget since both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees recommended the NIH increase in the context of a seven-year balanced budget plan. If the current CR's funding reduction for the NIH were to be continued beyond the November 13th expiration date in any future budget agreements, there will be serious consequences for the progress of biomedical research in the United States. The unintended consequences of across-the-board funding formulas with no budget priority decisions threaten future research efforts. Disease costs the nation billions every year in health care costs. As we strive to achieve a balanced budget, we must adopt policies and funding priorities that make the most of scarce federal dollars. Federal funding for biomedical research should be a top priority because without new strategies to prevent, intervene and treat diseases, health care costs will continue to spiral out of control. For example, last year the nation spent $90 billion on the care of the Alzheimer's patients. Significant progress through biomedical research to delay the most debilitating aspects of a disease requiring around the clock nursing care would save billions of Medicare and Medicaid dollars every year. An investment of one billion dollars in NIH research wuld be a bargain to save approximately $40 billion in federal health care costs. Currently, we fund only $300 millioon for NIH research on Alzheimer's disease. Adequate funding for the NIH not only saves scarce federal health care dollars, but also provides hope and solutions to the victims of diabetes, heart, stroke, and other chronic diseases. We strongly urge you to fund the National Institutes of Health in any budget agreement at the highest possible level for FY'96, consistent with the funding priorities set by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the Clinton Administration. Sincerely, (signed Member of Congress) * * * For more information, contact Jim Bernstein at the ASCB at 301/530-7153, or Pete Farnham at the ASBMB at 301/530-7147. ASCB ASBMB BS GSA AAA -------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 | How to announce new Internet resources, press releases etc. You can announce (free) new Internet resources, press releases etc. at http://www.informatik.uni-rostock.de/HMB-NewsGen/vw3news?postF For other announcements please take a look at http://www.informatik.uni-rostock.de/HUM-MOLGEN/hum/submit.html **************************************************************