Pranay Sinha
@tbtakenseriously.bsky.social
ID doc, TB researcher, writer, husband, and dog parent. Assistant Professor at Boston University.
14/
The Senate can still stop this.
And doctors-turned-senators like Cassidy, Marshall, Barrasso, Tillis, and Paul know:
Every cure starts with a question.
Let’s not make the next generation of questions go unanswered.
The Senate can still stop this.
And doctors-turned-senators like Cassidy, Marshall, Barrasso, Tillis, and Paul know:
Every cure starts with a question.
Let’s not make the next generation of questions go unanswered.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
14/
The Senate can still stop this.
And doctors-turned-senators like Cassidy, Marshall, Barrasso, Tillis, and Paul know:
Every cure starts with a question.
Let’s not make the next generation of questions go unanswered.
The Senate can still stop this.
And doctors-turned-senators like Cassidy, Marshall, Barrasso, Tillis, and Paul know:
Every cure starts with a question.
Let’s not make the next generation of questions go unanswered.
13/
But we are worth it.
This system works.
It yields discoveries, cures, jobs, and dignity.
We don’t need to reinvent it—we just need to protect it.
But we are worth it.
This system works.
It yields discoveries, cures, jobs, and dignity.
We don’t need to reinvent it—we just need to protect it.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
13/
But we are worth it.
This system works.
It yields discoveries, cures, jobs, and dignity.
We don’t need to reinvent it—we just need to protect it.
But we are worth it.
This system works.
It yields discoveries, cures, jobs, and dignity.
We don’t need to reinvent it—we just need to protect it.
12/
Young scientists are already struggling to stay in the field.
Cutting NIH now sends a clear message:
“You’re not worth the investment.”
Young scientists are already struggling to stay in the field.
Cutting NIH now sends a clear message:
“You’re not worth the investment.”
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
12/
Young scientists are already struggling to stay in the field.
Cutting NIH now sends a clear message:
“You’re not worth the investment.”
Young scientists are already struggling to stay in the field.
Cutting NIH now sends a clear message:
“You’re not worth the investment.”
11/
The NIH isn’t just a funding agency. It’s a pipeline—for ideas, talent, cures.
Cutting its budget isn’t trimming fat.
It’s severing the roots of a garden that took generations to grow.
The NIH isn’t just a funding agency. It’s a pipeline—for ideas, talent, cures.
Cutting its budget isn’t trimming fat.
It’s severing the roots of a garden that took generations to grow.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
11/
The NIH isn’t just a funding agency. It’s a pipeline—for ideas, talent, cures.
Cutting its budget isn’t trimming fat.
It’s severing the roots of a garden that took generations to grow.
The NIH isn’t just a funding agency. It’s a pipeline—for ideas, talent, cures.
Cutting its budget isn’t trimming fat.
It’s severing the roots of a garden that took generations to grow.
10/
We would never willingly hand over our semiconductor or defense sectors to strategic rivals.
Why would we cede biomedical leadership, which touches every corner of our health and economy?
We would never willingly hand over our semiconductor or defense sectors to strategic rivals.
Why would we cede biomedical leadership, which touches every corner of our health and economy?
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
10/
We would never willingly hand over our semiconductor or defense sectors to strategic rivals.
Why would we cede biomedical leadership, which touches every corner of our health and economy?
We would never willingly hand over our semiconductor or defense sectors to strategic rivals.
Why would we cede biomedical leadership, which touches every corner of our health and economy?
9/
Speaking of brain drain:
EU countries and China are already courting U.S. researchers facing budget chaos.
China increased science funding by 10% last year.
In 2022, they surpassed the U.S. in top-tier scientific publications.
Speaking of brain drain:
EU countries and China are already courting U.S. researchers facing budget chaos.
China increased science funding by 10% last year.
In 2022, they surpassed the U.S. in top-tier scientific publications.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
9/
Speaking of brain drain:
EU countries and China are already courting U.S. researchers facing budget chaos.
China increased science funding by 10% last year.
In 2022, they surpassed the U.S. in top-tier scientific publications.
Speaking of brain drain:
EU countries and China are already courting U.S. researchers facing budget chaos.
China increased science funding by 10% last year.
In 2022, they surpassed the U.S. in top-tier scientific publications.
8/
And this isn’t just about science. It’s about jobs.
NIH funds:
👩🔬 21K+ jobs in PA & NC
👨🔬 30K+ in TX
🏥 It’s the largest private employer in New Hampshire.
A sudden cut = layoffs, brain drain, broken local economies.
And this isn’t just about science. It’s about jobs.
NIH funds:
👩🔬 21K+ jobs in PA & NC
👨🔬 30K+ in TX
🏥 It’s the largest private employer in New Hampshire.
A sudden cut = layoffs, brain drain, broken local economies.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
8/
And this isn’t just about science. It’s about jobs.
NIH funds:
👩🔬 21K+ jobs in PA & NC
👨🔬 30K+ in TX
🏥 It’s the largest private employer in New Hampshire.
A sudden cut = layoffs, brain drain, broken local economies.
And this isn’t just about science. It’s about jobs.
NIH funds:
👩🔬 21K+ jobs in PA & NC
👨🔬 30K+ in TX
🏥 It’s the largest private employer in New Hampshire.
A sudden cut = layoffs, brain drain, broken local economies.
7/
These cuts would devastate not just individual labs, but entire ecosystems.
Studies like Framingham and the Women’s Health Initiative would be derailed—along with decades of investment.
These cuts would devastate not just individual labs, but entire ecosystems.
Studies like Framingham and the Women’s Health Initiative would be derailed—along with decades of investment.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
7/
These cuts would devastate not just individual labs, but entire ecosystems.
Studies like Framingham and the Women’s Health Initiative would be derailed—along with decades of investment.
These cuts would devastate not just individual labs, but entire ecosystems.
Studies like Framingham and the Women’s Health Initiative would be derailed—along with decades of investment.
6/ Getting an NIH grant isn’t easy.
It took me 3 submissions over 4 years.
Now that I have one, every dollar is tracked, reviewed, and justified.
Most of us are relentless stewards of public trust—and yes, we often spend our own money to keep projects going.
It took me 3 submissions over 4 years.
Now that I have one, every dollar is tracked, reviewed, and justified.
Most of us are relentless stewards of public trust—and yes, we often spend our own money to keep projects going.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
6/ Getting an NIH grant isn’t easy.
It took me 3 submissions over 4 years.
Now that I have one, every dollar is tracked, reviewed, and justified.
Most of us are relentless stewards of public trust—and yes, we often spend our own money to keep projects going.
It took me 3 submissions over 4 years.
Now that I have one, every dollar is tracked, reviewed, and justified.
Most of us are relentless stewards of public trust—and yes, we often spend our own money to keep projects going.
5/ NIH is also efficient:
📈 $1 → $2.56 in economic activity
💡 $100M → ~76 patents + $600M in follow-on R&D
🌱 NIH funding undergirds the entire biotech sector.
Industry may reap the profits—but NIH grows the seeds.
📈 $1 → $2.56 in economic activity
💡 $100M → ~76 patents + $600M in follow-on R&D
🌱 NIH funding undergirds the entire biotech sector.
Industry may reap the profits—but NIH grows the seeds.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
5/ NIH is also efficient:
📈 $1 → $2.56 in economic activity
💡 $100M → ~76 patents + $600M in follow-on R&D
🌱 NIH funding undergirds the entire biotech sector.
Industry may reap the profits—but NIH grows the seeds.
📈 $1 → $2.56 in economic activity
💡 $100M → ~76 patents + $600M in follow-on R&D
🌱 NIH funding undergirds the entire biotech sector.
Industry may reap the profits—but NIH grows the seeds.
4/ What have we gotten from this investment?
Well, if you took a pill today, there’s a good chance NIH-funded research helped make it possible.
Not just health advances—but also economic growth, jobs, and longevity.
Well, if you took a pill today, there’s a good chance NIH-funded research helped make it possible.
Not just health advances—but also economic growth, jobs, and longevity.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
4/ What have we gotten from this investment?
Well, if you took a pill today, there’s a good chance NIH-funded research helped make it possible.
Not just health advances—but also economic growth, jobs, and longevity.
Well, if you took a pill today, there’s a good chance NIH-funded research helped make it possible.
Not just health advances—but also economic growth, jobs, and longevity.
3/
Its model is simple but powerful:
🔬 Investigator-driven
📋 Peer-reviewed
🇺🇸 Federally funded
And it’s been so effective that other countries copied it.
Its model is simple but powerful:
🔬 Investigator-driven
📋 Peer-reviewed
🇺🇸 Federally funded
And it’s been so effective that other countries copied it.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
3/
Its model is simple but powerful:
🔬 Investigator-driven
📋 Peer-reviewed
🇺🇸 Federally funded
And it’s been so effective that other countries copied it.
Its model is simple but powerful:
🔬 Investigator-driven
📋 Peer-reviewed
🇺🇸 Federally funded
And it’s been so effective that other countries copied it.
2/
The NIH isn’t some bloated bureaucracy.
It’s the engine of American discovery.
Founded in 1930, it’s supported nearly a century of breakthroughs—from chemotherapy to mRNA vaccines.
The NIH isn’t some bloated bureaucracy.
It’s the engine of American discovery.
Founded in 1930, it’s supported nearly a century of breakthroughs—from chemotherapy to mRNA vaccines.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
2/
The NIH isn’t some bloated bureaucracy.
It’s the engine of American discovery.
Founded in 1930, it’s supported nearly a century of breakthroughs—from chemotherapy to mRNA vaccines.
The NIH isn’t some bloated bureaucracy.
It’s the engine of American discovery.
Founded in 1930, it’s supported nearly a century of breakthroughs—from chemotherapy to mRNA vaccines.
1/
The House just proposed slashing NIH funding from $42B to $27.5B.
A cut this deep wouldn’t just hurt—it would uproot American biomedical innovation.
As a physician-scientist whose career depends on NIH funding, I can tell you:
The panic is real.
The House just proposed slashing NIH funding from $42B to $27.5B.
A cut this deep wouldn’t just hurt—it would uproot American biomedical innovation.
As a physician-scientist whose career depends on NIH funding, I can tell you:
The panic is real.
June 25, 2025 at 5:01 AM
1/
The House just proposed slashing NIH funding from $42B to $27.5B.
A cut this deep wouldn’t just hurt—it would uproot American biomedical innovation.
As a physician-scientist whose career depends on NIH funding, I can tell you:
The panic is real.
The House just proposed slashing NIH funding from $42B to $27.5B.
A cut this deep wouldn’t just hurt—it would uproot American biomedical innovation.
As a physician-scientist whose career depends on NIH funding, I can tell you:
The panic is real.
Thank you to our funders for their extraordinary support.
@niaidnews.bsky.social
@bwfund.bsky.social
@icmr.bsky.social
Indian Department of Biotechnology
Warren Alpert Foundation
@niaidnews.bsky.social
@bwfund.bsky.social
@icmr.bsky.social
Indian Department of Biotechnology
Warren Alpert Foundation
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Thank you to our funders for their extraordinary support.
@niaidnews.bsky.social
@bwfund.bsky.social
@icmr.bsky.social
Indian Department of Biotechnology
Warren Alpert Foundation
@niaidnews.bsky.social
@bwfund.bsky.social
@icmr.bsky.social
Indian Department of Biotechnology
Warren Alpert Foundation
(10/10)
Key takeaway:
Premorbid undernutrition dramatically worsens TB severity. Integrating nutritional support into TB management is vital for better outcomes and fewer chronic complications.
@kncvtbplus.bsky.social @tbproof.bsky.social @tb-lshtm.bsky.social
Key takeaway:
Premorbid undernutrition dramatically worsens TB severity. Integrating nutritional support into TB management is vital for better outcomes and fewer chronic complications.
@kncvtbplus.bsky.social @tbproof.bsky.social @tb-lshtm.bsky.social
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
(10/10)
Key takeaway:
Premorbid undernutrition dramatically worsens TB severity. Integrating nutritional support into TB management is vital for better outcomes and fewer chronic complications.
@kncvtbplus.bsky.social @tbproof.bsky.social @tb-lshtm.bsky.social
Key takeaway:
Premorbid undernutrition dramatically worsens TB severity. Integrating nutritional support into TB management is vital for better outcomes and fewer chronic complications.
@kncvtbplus.bsky.social @tbproof.bsky.social @tb-lshtm.bsky.social
(9/10)
Clinical implications:
Nutritional interventions could serve as a "nutritional vaccine," significantly reducing TB incidence and severity.
Improved nutritional support may act as host-directed therapy, enhancing outcomes.
Clinical implications:
Nutritional interventions could serve as a "nutritional vaccine," significantly reducing TB incidence and severity.
Improved nutritional support may act as host-directed therapy, enhancing outcomes.
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
(9/10)
Clinical implications:
Nutritional interventions could serve as a "nutritional vaccine," significantly reducing TB incidence and severity.
Improved nutritional support may act as host-directed therapy, enhancing outcomes.
Clinical implications:
Nutritional interventions could serve as a "nutritional vaccine," significantly reducing TB incidence and severity.
Improved nutritional support may act as host-directed therapy, enhancing outcomes.
(8/10)
Our innovative modeling (GAM) revealed a potentially exponential increase in cavitation risk at BMI below 17 kg/m², suggesting a critical threshold for severe disease.
@cfmcquaid.bsky.social
Our innovative modeling (GAM) revealed a potentially exponential increase in cavitation risk at BMI below 17 kg/m², suggesting a critical threshold for severe disease.
@cfmcquaid.bsky.social
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
(8/10)
Our innovative modeling (GAM) revealed a potentially exponential increase in cavitation risk at BMI below 17 kg/m², suggesting a critical threshold for severe disease.
@cfmcquaid.bsky.social
Our innovative modeling (GAM) revealed a potentially exponential increase in cavitation risk at BMI below 17 kg/m², suggesting a critical threshold for severe disease.
@cfmcquaid.bsky.social
(7/10)
Possible reasons undernutrition exacerbates TB severity:
Dysregulated immune response —> undernutrition is a pro-inflammatory state, but specific response to MTB is weaker
Delayed disease containment
Greater susceptibility to severe lung damage
@draaron.bsky.social
Possible reasons undernutrition exacerbates TB severity:
Dysregulated immune response —> undernutrition is a pro-inflammatory state, but specific response to MTB is weaker
Delayed disease containment
Greater susceptibility to severe lung damage
@draaron.bsky.social
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
(7/10)
Possible reasons undernutrition exacerbates TB severity:
Dysregulated immune response —> undernutrition is a pro-inflammatory state, but specific response to MTB is weaker
Delayed disease containment
Greater susceptibility to severe lung damage
@draaron.bsky.social
Possible reasons undernutrition exacerbates TB severity:
Dysregulated immune response —> undernutrition is a pro-inflammatory state, but specific response to MTB is weaker
Delayed disease containment
Greater susceptibility to severe lung damage
@draaron.bsky.social
(6/10)
Alcohol misuse further increased severity:
Undernourished individuals misusing alcohol had nearly a 4-fold increase in cavitation risk and faster bacterial growth.
@zahedul-islam.bsky.social
Alcohol misuse further increased severity:
Undernourished individuals misusing alcohol had nearly a 4-fold increase in cavitation risk and faster bacterial growth.
@zahedul-islam.bsky.social
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
(6/10)
Alcohol misuse further increased severity:
Undernourished individuals misusing alcohol had nearly a 4-fold increase in cavitation risk and faster bacterial growth.
@zahedul-islam.bsky.social
Alcohol misuse further increased severity:
Undernourished individuals misusing alcohol had nearly a 4-fold increase in cavitation risk and faster bacterial growth.
@zahedul-islam.bsky.social
(5/10)
Women were disproportionately impacted:
Risk of cavitation doubled (aOR 2.20).
Lung involvement increased by ~10% in undernourished women.
@kerrymillington.bsky.social
Women were disproportionately impacted:
Risk of cavitation doubled (aOR 2.20).
Lung involvement increased by ~10% in undernourished women.
@kerrymillington.bsky.social
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
(5/10)
Women were disproportionately impacted:
Risk of cavitation doubled (aOR 2.20).
Lung involvement increased by ~10% in undernourished women.
@kerrymillington.bsky.social
Women were disproportionately impacted:
Risk of cavitation doubled (aOR 2.20).
Lung involvement increased by ~10% in undernourished women.
@kerrymillington.bsky.social
(4/10)
Key findings:
14% were moderately-to-severely undernourished before developing TB.
These patients had an 80% higher risk of lung cavitation and ~5% greater lung involvement.
Key findings:
14% were moderately-to-severely undernourished before developing TB.
These patients had an 80% higher risk of lung cavitation and ~5% greater lung involvement.
June 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
(4/10)
Key findings:
14% were moderately-to-severely undernourished before developing TB.
These patients had an 80% higher risk of lung cavitation and ~5% greater lung involvement.
Key findings:
14% were moderately-to-severely undernourished before developing TB.
These patients had an 80% higher risk of lung cavitation and ~5% greater lung involvement.