Basic Research Pays Off |
Whether they investigate how medicines work, study the life cycle of bacteria, or crunch numbers in a computer, scientists across the globe are united by a compelling desire: to better understand how life works. Many of these basic biomedical scientists are funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the National Institutes of Health. Rather than focusing on a specific disease, these researchers seek to answer important biological questions like how cells talk to each other, how biological machines fold into their active shapes, and how genes are regulated. These studies may not have an immediate impact on our health. Yet such "untargeted" research often leads to new medicines, technologies, and research tools. Examples of advances that grew out of basic research include:
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What Makes Good Research? |
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Great Benefits to Humankind |
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Spotlights on Basic Research |
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Print Version (PDF 208 KB) | |||||||
National Institute of General Medical Sciences |