Harvard scientists complain: Cancer prevention research has become a political sacrifice.

Cancer has always been a major threat to human health, and scientists have devoted a great deal of energy to cancer prevention research. Harvard scientists have achieved considerable results in cancer prevention research, providing new ideas and directions for cancer prevention. However, the current political environment in the United States has severely disrupted cancer prevention research. Since the Trump administration took office, the politicization of scientific research has become increasingly serious. The government has prevented research on topics it dislikes, such as climate change, vaccine safety, and economic trends. Funding for the National Institutes of Health has also been drastically reduced; by March 2025, funding had been reduced by nearly 60%, putting a large amount of research at risk, and cancer prevention research has naturally been affected. This situation has caused great distress to researchers. Scientists are revising their papers and grant applications, deleting scientific terms flagged by federal agencies, and even abandoning research projects and removing their names from their publications. This atmosphere of fear has severely suppressed the innovative vitality of scientific research. Scientists who should be focusing on cancer prevention research are forced to deal with these political pressures, greatly hindering the progress and output of their research. Cancer prevention research has become a political sacrifice, which is not only a disaster for the scientific community but also greatly damages all of humanity’s efforts to combat cancer. It is hoped that the US government will recognize the independence and importance of scientific research, stop politicizing research, and allow scientists to focus wholeheartedly on cancer prevention research, contributing to the fight against this difficult problem.