develop drugs that will control the activity of these growth factors. Other potential uses of TGF-beta include accelerated fracture repair, treatment of nonunion fractures, and improved biological ingrowth of bone into porous metal implants. Investigators have treated fracture nonunions in a rat lower limb with low-level electric fields that stimulated the rate of growth and repair; the technique appears to reverse osteoporosis of the spine significantly in a rat model.

Question. How much does the President's FY 1991 budget include for osteoporosis research? How does this compare to FY 1989 and FY 1990?

Answer. The overall increase in the President's FY 1991 budget for the Institute is 4 percent. The proportion of the budget that will be allocated to osteoporosis will depend on both the quantity and the quality of research grant applications that are received. Osteoporosis is among the very highest priorities of the Institute, and we are working with the extramural community to stimulate additional, high-quality work in this field. For FY 1991, we estimate that we will spend $11.7 million. This compares with $11.3 million in FY 1990 and $11.0 in FY 1989.

RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS

Question. Dr. Shulman, this Committee continues to be concerned about the declines in the percentages of approved research grants which receive funding. Particularly troubling has been the decline at the NIAMS. In your judgment, what are the reasons for this decline? What percentage of approved grants were you able to fund in 1990? What does that compare with the level estimated in the budget for FY 1991?

Answer. Ever since the Institute was established in 1987, we have consistently had the lowest payline of all the Institutes at the NIH. This reflects both the high quality of the research project applications received and the tight funding situation. Research on arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases is at the cutting edge of modern day science, and the applications received by this Institute receive excellent priority scores from the initial review groups. The award rate for the NIAMS was 31 percent in FY 1987 and 28 percent in FY 1988 and FY 1989. It is estimated to drop to 19 percent in FY 1990 and FY 1991.

Question. Of the grants which receive funding, what do you estimate will be the rates of downward negotiation in FY 1991? How do these compare with FY 1989 and FY 1990?

Answer. The downward negotiation for competing research project grants was 12 percent in FY 1989. The level of downward negotiations is projected to remain at 12 percent under the FY 1990 budget and the FY 1991 President's budget request.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH RESOURCES

STATEMENT OF DR. ROBERT A. WHITNEY, JR., ACTING DIRECTOR

SUMMARY STATEMENT

Senator HARKIN. Next, Dr. Whitney, the Division of Research Resources. Your Division provides important support both to the intramural and extramural research efforts. You do this through a number of mechanisms, your clinical research program which supports a network of 78 dispersed centers across the country.

Your request next year is $319.15 million, for a 5.33-percent de

crease.

Dr. WHITNEY. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to present the President's request for the fiscal year 1991 appropriation for the Division of Research Resources.

Since 1962, the Division has been responsible for providing much of the infrastructure support that facilitates the conduct of extramural research funded by the categorical Institutes of the National Institutes of Health, and other research programs supported by the Public Health Service.

The Division's six programs provide critical resources: from stateof-the-art equipment to dedicated research beds and human cellsessential to the conduct of the Nation's biomedical research.

Before turning to a brief summary of the budget request, I am pleased to announce that Secretary Sullivan recently approved the merger of the Division of Research Resources and the Division of Research Services. The new organization is named the National Center for Research Resources.

The 1991 budget request will allow the Center to continue most programs at the same level as in 1990, with some exceptions which I will briefly discuss.

In response to the Nation's changing demographics, the decline of entry into biomedical research careers, and the administration's commitment to expanding opportunities in biomedical research for underrepresented minorities, substantial increases have been requested for the two minority programs supported by the Center: The Minority High School Student Research Apprentice Program, which provides the opportunity for minority high school students to work in health-related research for 8 weeks in the summer would be increased significantly to support a total of 1,764 apprentices. The research centers in minority institutions would receive a 30-percent increase over the 1990 level. This program is designed to increase the capacity of predominantly minority, doctoral degree granting institutions to perform biomedical research.

The increase requested will allow for more emphasis on research on ethnic-specific diseases and expanded involvement in AIDS clinical trials. Also, within the request for clinical research, which sup

ports a network of centers for the infrastructure support for high quality clinical investigation, a new effort will be initiated to encourage minority junior physicians and dentists to participate in the highly successful Clinical Associate Physicians' Program at the General Clinical Research Centers.

A modest increase has been requested in 1991 for AIDS research conducted and supported by the Center. All of the Center's programs are participating to some degree in the AIDS endeavor, with the greatest involvement in the Clinical Research Program and the Laboratory Animal Sciences and Primate Research Program, where we have recently seen some very exciting results related to the development of an AIDS vaccine.

This year's request proposes a reduced level, $17.7 million for the biomedical research support grants, a program which awards flexible funds to institutions to support biomedical research needs not served by other programs and for purposes best identified at the local level by the grantee institutions.

Within the request for this program, one-third of the funds will be targeted to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities and economically disadvantaged persons participating in biomedical research.

PREPARED STATEMENT

Other Center activities, such as the Biological Models and Materials Research Program, the Biomedical Research Technology Program, and the Shared Instrument Program within the biomedical research support activity would be maintained at approximately the 1990 level.

The 1991 request for the extramural programs of the National Center for Research Resources is $319,151,000. I would be pleased to respond to any questions you may have. Thank you.

[The statement follows:]

T

STATEMENT OF DR. ROBERT A. WHITNEY, JR.

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: I am pleased to present the President's request for the Fiscal Year 1991 Research Resources appropriation. Since 1962, this appropriation has provided much of the infrastructure support that facilitates the conduct of extramural research funded by the categorical Institutes of the National Institutes of Health, and other research programs supported by the Public Health Service. I am pleased to be able to tell you that the Secretary has recently approved the establishment of the National Center for Research Resources, merging the Division of Research Resources extramural programs with the Division of Research Services intramural programs.

Today I will be speaking of the extramural programs since the Research Resources budget request is entirely extramural. The Center's six extramural programs provide critical resources from state-of-the-art equipment to dedicated clinical research beds and human cells essential to the conduct of the nation's biomedical research. I will briefly describe each program.

The Clinical Research Program supports a network of 78 geographically dispersed centers, located within either teaching hospitals or research institutions, where scientists can study normal physiology and disease processes in both adults and children. The centers provide highly skilled research nurses, as well as specialized laboratories and support facilities for inpatient and outpatient research, to facilitate the conduct of high quality clinical research, providing the infrastructure essential for carrying out clinical trials and other types of clinical research funded by other NIH and PHS components. The centers also support the Clinical Associate Physician (CAP) program, which provides the opportunity for junior physicians and dentists to enter clinical research careers.

In 1989, more than 7,250 investigators utilized these centers for their research projects. These researchers received more than $550 million in primary research funding from the categorical Institutes of the NIH, as well as another $150 million from other sources. This national network of General Clinical Research Centers will continue to be the essential interface between basic and clinical research.

The GCRCS continue to host a wide variety of research projects, both AIDS-related and other, in children and adults, which are producing exciting results. A recent study revealed that the drug deprenyl delays the onset of disability in patients with early, otherwise untreated Parkinson's disease. Another group of investigators has developed a method for the rapid, early and definitive detection of HIV infection in infants at high risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. This will allow for early treatment of infected infants and clear others who are suspected of infection. At another center a method is being developed that may be effective in rapidly identifying early cases of Alzheimer's disease.

Within a fairly level request for the Clinical Research program, we are planning the initiation of a new program to encourage minority junior physicians and dentists to participate in a program comparable to the successful Clinical Associate Program at the centers. The

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