Durbin, Duckworth Announce $9.1 Million In Medical Research Grants For Illinois Institutions

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $9.1 Million In Medical Research Grants For Illinois Institutions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $9,148,321 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions for medical research. The grantees will use the federal funding to better understand neurological disorders, infectious diseases, addiction, and cancer while also providing federal support for medical research training and infrastructure programs.

"Illinois is home to world-class medical research institutions that are pushing our nation toward a cure for cancer and treatment for neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. I'm grateful to bring federal dollars home to support this critical research at Illinois institutions," Durbin said.

"Investing in our world-renowned medical research facilities and institutions is critical in helping ensure high quality health care for all Illinoisans," Duckworth said. "I will keep working with Senator Durbin to make sure our health organizations have the federal support they need to continue improving cancer and infectious disease research as well as advancing medical treatments for patients with neurodegenerative diseases across Illinois."

Recipients of these HHS grants include:

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $361,493
• University of Chicago (Biomedical Research and Research Training): $337,089
• University of Chicago (Research Infrastructure Programs) $725,546
• Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $725,444
• Northwestern University (Cancer Research Manpower): $299,197
• Northwestern University (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research): $512,655
• Northwestern University (Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs): $530,420
• Northwestern University (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $436,062
• Northwestern University (Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders): $439,358
• University of Illinois at Chicago (Lung Disease Research): $586,263
• University of Illinois at Chicago (Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research): $714,758
• University of Illinois at Chicago (Aging Research): $660,346
• University of Chicago (Cardiovascular Diseases Research): $964,320
• Illinois Institute of Technology (Cancer Treatment Research): $648,992
• Northwestern University (Cardiovascular Diseases Research): $696,259
• Rush University Medical Center (Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs): $510,119

Durbin has long been a strong advocate for robust medical research. His legislation, the American Cures Act, would provide annual budget increases of five percent plus inflation at America's top four biomedical research agencies: the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense Health Program, and the Veterans Medical and Prosthetics Research Program. Thanks to Durbin's efforts to increase medical research funding, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent funding increase over the past decade. Since Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15), because of Durbin's efforts, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent increase in annual funding, raising the appropriations level from $30 billion in FY15 to $49 billion today.

-30-