A message from the president and CEO of the Science Museum of Minnesota
The recent reductions in funding and staffing at our nation’s premier health agencies deeply concern us as an institution dedicated to advancing scientific understanding. For families facing serious illnesses, these reductions aren’t just losses — they threaten lives and futures.
We must not lose sight of the transformative medical breakthroughs at stake. mRNA technology, which some view with unwarranted suspicion, represents one of our most promising avenues for cancer treatment. The scientists developing these therapies temporarily redirected their cancer research during COVID-19 to create life-saving vaccines with unprecedented global collaboration. This decades-old technology — not experimental, but refined over years of research — now holds the key to targeting specific cancers with precision previously unimaginable.
Similarly, advances like CAR T-cell therapy demonstrate how continued investment in biomedical research translates directly into hope for patients and their families.
Defunding these programs risks setting back progress by decades. At a moment when medical innovation is our best tool for healing, we cannot afford to turn away from the research that could save our most vulnerable loved ones.
Another alarming crusade by this administration has been against pregnant people who take Tylenol (Acetaminophen), a drug that has been around for over half a century. It is one of the few options available to pregnant patients seeking treatment for fever and pain. The recent claims that link Tylenol and autism as causal are unfounded.
For some sound science on the topic, I found this podcast from Science Vs to be well-researched and cited: “Does Tylenol Cause Autism?” They also produced an excellent episode, “Autism: The Real Reason It’s Going Up,” that’s worth listening to, given all the recent hyperbole.
In all things, we trust science.
