The definitive account of a system in crisis

For decades, the National Institutes of Health has upheld American science. It has been the engine behind breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV/AIDS, and countless life-saving therapies. As the world’s largest funder of biomedical research, it helped make the United States the global leader in life sciences. In 2025, that foundation cracked.

Inside the collapse

This report is a complete investigative series documenting how the federal government’s sudden policy reversals, grant terminations, and funding cuts upended the social contract between Washington and the nation’s research institutions. The result of this leave scientists and institutions no longer confident in having the federal government as a resolute partner in discovery.

This report goes far beyond headlines. Nine reporters traveled across the U.S. — and to Europe — to document the human, institutional, and scientific toll.

Who this report Is for:

• Policymakers and government officials
• Investors in biotech and life sciences
• Scientists at every career stage
• Patient advocates
  
• Anyone interested in the future of American innovation
  

Understand how the Trump administration has disrupted labs, upended lives, and delayed discoveries. Download this report to unpack the definitive, deeply reported account of a year that may reshape U.S. biomedical research for a generation.