TY - JOUR
T1 - Perspectives on polycystic ovary syndrome
T2 - Is polycystic ovary syndrome research underfunded?
AU - Brakta, Soumia
AU - Lizneva, Daria
AU - Mykhalchenko, Kateryna
AU - Imam, Adonis
AU - Walker, Walidah
AU - Diamond, Michael Peter
AU - Azziz, Ricardo
N1 - Funding Information:
Why PCOS research funded by the NIH is more often funded through M01 and P50 grants is not readily evident. Research in PCOS should not be more likely to benefit from group or consortia science than would research for RA or SLE, and certainly should be less so than that of TB. Hence, perhaps this anomaly reflects internal NICHD policy, whereby funds are preferably allocated to consortia and multicenter efforts rather than individual research grants. Assessing the total number of P50 grants per IC awarded between 2006 and 2015, we observed that the NICHD ranked 10th among NIH ICs (data not shown). However, the NICHD was only one of three ICs (along with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the NIAID) to increase the number of P50 grants awarded during the study period, doing so the most of any of the three (the number of P50 awards increased by 8, 2, and 6 from 2006 to 2015, respectively). Consequently, is it possible that an emphasis on P50 grant awards results from deliberate strategy by the NICHD during the study period to foster greater inter-center collaboration and team science among its investigators.
Funding Information:
Conclusion: PCOS, compared with RA, TB, and SLE, was relatively less funded (total mean 10-year funding was $215.12 million vs $454.39 million, $773.77 million, and $609.52 million, respectively). Funding for PCOS was largely provided by one NIH Institute/Center (ICs) vs at least two ICs for SLE and RA; more individual Research Project Grants were awarded for RA, SLE, and TB than for PCOS, whereas PCOS funding was more likely to be through General Clinical Research Centers Program or Specialized Centers Program awards. Our data suggest that PCOS research may be underfunded considering its prevalence, economic burden, metabolic morbidity, and negative impact on quality of life. Greater education of NIH leaders, including those at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; other federal and state agency leads; elected leaders; and the general public by professional societies, the scientific community, and patient advocates regarding this disorder is needed. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 102: 4421–4427, 2017)
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2017 Endocrine Society.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine-metabolic abnormality with a worldwide prevalence of 4% to 21%, depending on diagnostic criteria. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest single funding agency in the world; it invests nearly $30.0 billion annually in biomedical research. Evidence Acquisition: Using the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting tool, we searched for all grants awarded by the NIH for PCOS and three other disorders with similar degrees of morbidity and similar or lower mortality and prevalence [rheumatoid arthritis (RA), tuberculosis (TB), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)]. Evidence Synthesis: We compared funding by the NIH for PCOS, RA, TB, and SLE research for the years 2006 to 2015, inclusive. Conclusion: PCOS, compared with RA, TB, and SLE, was relatively less funded (total mean 10-year funding was $215.12 million vs $454.39 million, $773.77 million, and $609.52 million, respectively). Funding for PCOS was largely provided by one NIH Institute/Center (ICs) vs at least two ICs for SLE and RA; more individual Research Project Grants were awarded for RA, SLE, and TB than for PCOS, whereas PCOS funding was more likely to be through General Clinical Research Centers Program or Specialized Centers Program awards. Our data suggest that PCOS research may be underfunded considering its prevalence, economic burden, metabolic morbidity, and negative impact on quality of life. Greater education of NIH leaders, including those at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; other federal and state agency leads; elected leaders; and the general public by professional societies, the scientific community, and patient advocates regarding this disorder is needed.
AB - Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine-metabolic abnormality with a worldwide prevalence of 4% to 21%, depending on diagnostic criteria. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest single funding agency in the world; it invests nearly $30.0 billion annually in biomedical research. Evidence Acquisition: Using the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting tool, we searched for all grants awarded by the NIH for PCOS and three other disorders with similar degrees of morbidity and similar or lower mortality and prevalence [rheumatoid arthritis (RA), tuberculosis (TB), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)]. Evidence Synthesis: We compared funding by the NIH for PCOS, RA, TB, and SLE research for the years 2006 to 2015, inclusive. Conclusion: PCOS, compared with RA, TB, and SLE, was relatively less funded (total mean 10-year funding was $215.12 million vs $454.39 million, $773.77 million, and $609.52 million, respectively). Funding for PCOS was largely provided by one NIH Institute/Center (ICs) vs at least two ICs for SLE and RA; more individual Research Project Grants were awarded for RA, SLE, and TB than for PCOS, whereas PCOS funding was more likely to be through General Clinical Research Centers Program or Specialized Centers Program awards. Our data suggest that PCOS research may be underfunded considering its prevalence, economic burden, metabolic morbidity, and negative impact on quality of life. Greater education of NIH leaders, including those at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; other federal and state agency leads; elected leaders; and the general public by professional societies, the scientific community, and patient advocates regarding this disorder is needed.
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U2 - 10.1210/jc.2017-01415
DO - 10.1210/jc.2017-01415
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29092064
AN - SCOPUS:85038228688
SN - 0021-972X
VL - 102
SP - 4421
EP - 4427
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 12
ER -