Lobbyists Seek to Reslice NIH's Pie

You might think this would be a year of harmony in the loose-knit coalition of groups that advocate increased funding for biomedical research. After all, they have already received a sympathetic hearing for their number-one priority: to double the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by 2002. But, as disease lobbies begin testifying this week to a House appropriations subcommittee, several groups are making aggressive public appeals for a larger slice of NIH's pie for their own areas. NIH officials say their arguments are simplistic and potentially damaging.