Why Fund Basic Research? 

Basic Research: An Investment in the Future

Basic research is an investment in the future. Its costs pale in comparison to the long-term costs of providing health care for the millions of people suffering from currently incurable diseases. Dedicating more money to basic research will one day allow health care providers to shift away from difficult medical treatments — such as radiation and chemotherapy, heart transplants and bypass surgery — to a focus on cures.

The ability of the Tampa Bay Research Institute to discover new protocols that will help the immune system fight incurable diseases rests in large measure, on donor contributions and grants supporting new scientists and laboratories.

Biomedical research can open the way to something better. This occurred with the polio vaccine, whose development depended on first understanding the cause of the disease and the three types of poliovirus. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is another example of what basic research can do to improve health care. Initially used only in research laboratories to study chemicals in test tubes, it now provides detailed pictures of the body’s interior. As a further example of the role of basic research, some experts in drug development say that 95 percent^* of all discoveries leading to new drugs are made outside of the pharmaceutical industry, although most actual drugs are developed by pharmaceutical companies.

* Dr. C. Thomas Caskey, president of the Merck Genome Research Institute, quoted in The New York Times, “10 Drug Makers Join to Find Genetic Roots of Diseases,” April 15, 1999.

Our Scientists

Tampa Bay Research Institute (TBRI) is carving a path for itself within the field of biomedical research. By creating new protocols and being receptive to new ideas from scientists from other disciplines, TBRI is stretching its ability to find solutions. By focusing our attention on the human immune system and its ability to fight infectious diseases, TBRI is using its knowledge and creativity to focus on finding cures.

Our scientists are free to undertake areas of research that are more creative or more cutting-edge. TBRI scientists determine the lines of inquiry to be pursued, making those determinations with unlimited intellectual freedom, a rarity in the world of biomedical research.

Make a Donation Now

TBRI is grateful for the annual support of people just like you whose gifts assure the margin of excellence in our vital research work.

You can donate by mailing your gift directly to TBRI, or you can call us today to discuss how best to maximize the value of your gift. For additional information, please call Thomas P. Taggart, CFP, Director of Development at 727-576-6675 x 131.