NIH Grant Disruptions Slow Down Breast Cancer Research By Martha Bebinger, WBUR February 3, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nih-grant-freeze-breast-cancer-research-slowed-harvard-lab/ KFF Health News: NIH Grant Disruptions Slow Down Breast Cancer Research Inside a cancer research laboratory on the campus of Harvard Medical School, two dozen small jars with pink plastic lids sat on a metal counter. Inside these humble-looking jars is the core of Joan Brugge’s current multiyear research project. Brugge lifted up one of the jars and gazed at it with reverence. Each jar holds samples of breast tissue donated by patients after they underwent a tissue biopsy or breast surgery — samples that may reveal a new way to prevent breast cancer. Brugge and her research team have analyzed the cell structure of more than 100 samples. (Bebinger, 2/3)