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Agreement on industry user fees may force the agency to scale back its intramural program, which critics say is fragmented. Intramural research at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is coming under increasing financial pressure and criticism. In discussions with FDA officials, pharmaceutical manufacturers have won an agreement that the user fees they pay will soon no longer help fund the agency's research. Since 1992, approximately $10 million annually from industry user fees

Photo: Roger Riley NEW UNDERSTANDING: Kelvin Cooper predicts an upswing in interest because of new developments like comprehending the cytokine signaling pathway. Biochemical message-routing molecules are being discovered regularly, giving researchers new targets for developing more efficacious therapeutics to treat inflammatory disease. According to industry observers, these therapies constitute a multibillion-dollar market for treating disorders such as asthma, lupus, multiple sclerosis, ost

'IN TRANSITION': Association of Independent Research Institutes members are looking at new strategies, says president David Beck. Independent research institutes, which garner 10 percent of the National Institutes of Health's extramural research funding budget, rely heavily on federal support. With increased competition for grants and government funding far from assured, these institutes are reevaluating their financial strategies. Members of the Association of Independent Research Institutes

MORE WORK NEEDED: Scientists have discovered a Parkinson's disease gene, but aren’t certain how many cases are caused by its mutation. The end of June brought with it a pair of studies with potentially valuable information on neurological disorders. In one (M. Polymeropoulos et al., Science, 276:2045-7, 1997), researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J., reported the first-ever discovery of a gene w

Following is a partial listing of scientists given honorary degrees at North American colleges and universities this spring: Bates College, Lewiston, Maine: Jane Lubchenco, Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Zoology, Oregon State University, Cornwallis Binghamton University, State University of New York: Arnold J. Levine, Harry C. Weiss Professor and chairman, department of molecular biology, Princeton University Brown University: Leo Esaki, president, University of Tsukuba, Japan; recipien

Sidebar: National Medal of Technology Goes To Biomedical Computing Pioneer, Four Others Two pioneering molecular biologists-including a Nobel laureate-were among nine researchers named in April to receive the 1997 National Medal of Science, the United States government's highest honor for scientific achievement. The honorees, who represent a wide range of disciplines, include an astrophysicist who helped elucidate the origin of the stars, a chemist who help lay the groundwork for understanding

Studies indicate that university bureaucracies are growing, both in absolute terms and relative to other institutional functions. Researchers have long decried this trend, reasoning that the growth of administrations can come only at the expense of research and teaching. The causes of administrative growth are complex, and drastic measures often are required to stop the ever-increasing costs. However, some institutions have had success in cutting their administrations down to size. The opinion

An editorial accompanying a JAMA thyroid drug study criticized private-sector funding of professional associations. A recent editorial in JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association that detailed the events surrounding the suppression of a pharmaceutical study has drawn attention to the relationship between scientific professional societies and sponsorship by private companies (D. Rennie, JAMA, 277:1238-43, 1997). In its April 16 issue, the journal published a long-subdued study that show

Sidebar: New Ways To Separate Enantiomers Photo: Malboro Photo SUCCESS IN SEPARATION: Sepracor researchers found that the S-enantiomer of Prozac worked well in preventing migraine, says Dean Handley. A trend in the pharmaceutical industry toward increasing use of chiral chemistry techniques is leading to safer new drugs, while coaxing novel uses from existing blockbuster compounds. These techniques separate drugs that occur in two mirror-image molecular forms, called enantiomers. Louis Pasteur

GOOD GOING: Commerce Undersecretary for Technology Mary Good is returning to private life after serving a little more than one term. The Clinton administration lost another key technology official when Mary L. Good, Undersecretary for Technology in the Department of Commerce, stepped down on June 3 to return to private life in Little Rock, Ark. Good, who was unavailable for comment, had served in the department since the beginning of Bill Clinton's first term. She was known as a strong advocate

Modified Micelles: "In order to separate chiral molecules, you need another chiral species," says Isiah Warner, chairman of the chemistry department at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Warner uses fatty spheres called micelles, which form as fatty acid tails face inward and heads face outward in solution. He links a single enantiomer of the amino acid valine to the fatty acids, creating micelles that bind certain other single enantiomers. It is an old idea with a twist, Warner says:

The inventor of the whole-body CT scanner, who also pioneered the development of automated chromosome analysis for prenatal diagnosis, is among the five recipients of the 1997 National Medal of Technology. The award, according to a statement by the United States Department of Commerce, "recognizes individuals and corporations whose leadership and innovation have made significant contributions to the nation by creating jobs, strengthening its competitive position, and advanced our standard of li