“One of our grants received the best score I’ve ever gotten,” says Jesse Dixon, PhD, a Salk Institute researcher studying how DNA organization drives cancer. “But funding priorities changed midyear, reducing the number of new funded grants. The project is now on hold.” With the National Cancer Institute funding only 1 in 25 grants, even groundbreaking ideas are being stalled. Philanthropy is what keeps momentum alive. Early support from the Helmsley Foundation helped launch Dr. Dixon’s lab; toda

Back in the 1950s, Dr. Jonas Salk introduced a groundbreaking medical breakthrough using special cells to create a widely used product. At the time, the full scope of DNA wasn’t yet understood. Years later, Dr. Bernice Eddy, a dedicated researcher at the NIH, discovered that these cells contained something unexpected—a hidden element capable of altering DNA and triggering serious health concerns. Despite raising red flags to top authorities like the NIH and FDA, her warnings were ignored, and sh