Brendon Davis: Funding science is funding Spokane’s future

By Brendon Davis

I recently went to Washington, D.C., for meetings on Capitol Hill. We spoke about how federal support for science has sharply declined since January and the profound negative consequences this will have for the United States.

I found a sliver of optimism in meetings with members of the House of Representatives – every local politician has reasons to support science rooted in their home district. The science this country has pioneered is present in every city, town and neighborhood, and the Inland Northwest is no different.

I was born and raised in Spokane, and I only moved away from Washington state in 2021 to pursue a doctorate in biology. To earn my PhD, I am studying stem cells, the cells in your body that regenerate tissue and make new types of cells. I use fruit flies to do this because they share many of the same biological processes as humans, and I can modify specific genes to see how the stem cells – and the health of the flies – respond.

The kind of foundational science I do is an early but necessary step in the development of real-world applications. Medical and technological advancement is a long process that requires years of research, consistent funding, countless experiments and hundreds of scientists who share a steadfast commitment to progress. Fruit fly studies, for example, laid early groundwork for understanding and treating conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and birth defects.

My lab has recently started to move toward studying heart health and regeneration, applying my findings in fruit flies to do so. I dream of seeing a therapy I helped develop one day appear in the treatment plans of patients in the cardio wing at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. My role, of course, would have been to build one rung on a long ladder.

Right now, however, that whole ladder is being put through the woodchipper. The Trump administration has canceled numerous training grants. Many of these fund the research of graduate students, often the primary drivers of discoveries in labs.

On top of that, slashing science budgets will eliminate stability for ongoing research. Look no further than Washington State University. In addition to WSU grants that have already been canceled, the Trump administration’s proposed budget threatens science-supporting agencies with massive cuts, including nearly a quarter of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s funding. WSU is a top recipient of USDA grants nationally. Even if Congress passes a more agriculture-friendly budget this year, future cuts will remain a looming threat as long as contempt for science is rooted in our government. It will be difficult for those at WSU and elsewhere to regain the peace of mind to attempt ambitious, breakthrough experiments that can require years of sustained funding and effort.

Science is an investment. Supporting research now pays off when a new therapy or revolutionary technology hits the shelves in 20 years. A collapse of federal support for science, even if temporary, will have consequences far into the future. We can expect labs to shut down in addition to the ones that have been forcefully closed. Programs at my home institution are unsure if they will recruit new students next year.

I have excitedly watched the scientific enterprise of Spokane grow in the past decade. The addition of WSU’s Gleason Institute for Neuroscience, Gonzaga’s School of Health Sciences and the two Spokane-based medical school programs all promise continued growth for Spokane as a producer of research and medicine. Rightfully so. Science begins in our communities, and our country’s investment in science provides those Eastern Washington institutions the support and freedom to focus on you. This growth will be severely slowed by the destruction of science as a foundational part of this country’s vision.

Science has been a unifying force through the history of the United States, and there is no reason supporting it should be anything but common ground now. It is essential for us to contact our representatives in D.C. and find ways to support science from our cities, towns, and neighborhoods. For the sake of the city where I grew up, I am fighting to raise the alarm about what science means to each of us and what we have to lose. I hope you will join me.

Brendon Davis is a PhD candidate in the Johns Hopkins University Program in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology and Biophysics based in Baltimore. He is also the president of the Science Policy and Diplomacy Group at Johns Hopkins. This column is part of the McClintock Letters initiative, and readers can register their response at tiny.cc/sciencepledge.