I am very pleased that NIH has funded some promising research. Good on them for that because it's what we've been calling for and what is badly needed. I think there needs to be much more but it does seem they are beginning to deliver on their promises. Well done to those who got funding, I am familiar with most of them and rate many of the individuals involved.
I'm disappointed that Ron Davis' team didn't get funding because I know the people involved are extremely good. Having spoken with Dr Davis a few years ago I was blown away by how brilliant he is and his focus on carrying out science in a way that delivers actual usable benefit to real patients in the real world as fast as possible.
He isn't about pointless papers in journals that don't lead to any meaningful change. And he has created a team of scientists around him that I don't think any other group researching ME can match. I know Linda, the CEO of OMF, is also extremely smart and driven and she manages the OMF very effectively and with the same passion to actually change the lives of patients with ME.
I'm going to avoid remarking too much on the review comments because I haven't seen them in their context or those of other applicants for comparison. But I don't agree with them saying Stanford is mediocre, in any context that comment would seem completely removed from reality to me. I also agree with Dr Davis' approach to solving the problem of ME, and I think the NIH's competitive approach can be less efficient.
At the end of the day though, to get what we want, at this stage it might be that the best way to get funding is to jump through the NIH's hoops, even if we think they are stupid hoops, because that's likely to be more effective than the other options people are talking about. I know publication takes time but maybe churning something out so that this criticism is removed would be a good move because it sounds like that was a major reason why the application was rejected this time. I agree that shouldn't be necessary and seems at odds with the stated aims of the funding purpose, but it just might be the most pragmatic way to get funding next time round. These decisions are incredibly frustrating, hopefully next time we can celebrate Dr Davis' and the OMF getting the support it needs from the NIH because I am sure they will deliver.
Anyway, sorry, I don't want to come across too disappointed, I am genuinely pleased the NIH has funded the other researchers and I look forward to the outcome of their research over the coming years.