The American Physiological Society (APS) has launched a nationwide campaign to highlight physiology’s essential role in biomedical discovery, public health, and scientific innovation. APS has introduced Physiology: The Science Life Depends On, a national effort that mobilizes scientists in academia and industry, federal decision-makers, and research funders to elevate the profile of physiology.
The initiative has come amid federal research funding freezes and billions in cuts that stall grants, slow clinical progress, and push researchers out of the field, with APS emphasizing that investing in foundational research is a national imperative. The campaign underscores that physiology explains how the body works across areas from healthy aging to cancer and heart disease, forming the basis for diagnoses, therapies, and cures.
Given that private funding is largely directed toward late-stage product development, the effort highlights the irreplaceable role of federal investment in foundational and exploratory research, calling for renewed and reliable support for physiological research to sustain scientific progress and maintain the innovation pipeline.
The campaign launches with a new digital hub featuring a brief titled ‘Fight for Physiology: The Science Life Depends On’, which details what is at stake and outlines how protecting discovery today safeguards future cures and supports global competitiveness, including specific actions that individuals in academia, industry, and government can take to strengthen the field. The site also presents key examples of physiological breakthroughs, including how pregnancy affects lifelong health and developments related to future pig-to-human organ transplants.
Over the coming year, APS plans to use storytelling, multimedia content, and live events to show how physiology connects genes and cells to organ systems and whole-body health, supporting solutions that improve lives.
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