Rinku Majumder, PhD, is a professor at Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, who leads a hematology laboratory conducting research on the anticoagulant protein S. Her team’s work has therapeutic implications for hemophilia, hypercoagulability, and thrombosis, as well as pancreatic cancer.
Heme Today previously interviewed Dr. Majumder as a recipient of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Bridge Grant to gain insight into the importance of such financial support to hematology researchers. In this interview, conducted shortly before the release by the Trump administration of its fiscal year 2027 federal budget proposal, Heme Today checked in with Dr. Majumder about the current state of her laboratory’s work.
Dr. Majumder’s team has seen recent success with the publication of two major manuscripts, one in The Journal of Clinical Investigation and the other in Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. She points out, however, that hematology researchers currently face a stressful and uncertain federal funding environment.
“It’s kind of a very tricky situation in NIH for overall research funding—be it clinical, be it basic science—because we don’t know what is going to happen. Before, it was like a certain percentile of the grants would be funded, but things have changed a lot. Everybody is facing this kind of problem right now,” Dr. Majumder explained.
To be able to continue her research, Dr. Majumder has once again applied for financial support from ASH and is exploring newly offered internal grants at her own institution. Like other hematology researchers, she has had to inquire into funding from federal agencies other than the NIH.
“My research, also, is going towards the clinical direction because, ultimately, we need to have this available for the human population. For that, my studies, and any other patient sample studies we need to do, everything demands money,” Dr. Majumder emphasized.
At ASH, the Bridge Grant program, as the primary form of financial support offered to hematology researchers, has been succeeded by the Award for Research Careers in Hematology (ARCH). The Society has also issued a statement in response to the White House’s 2027 US federal budget request, in which it expressed concern that the proposed NIH budget cuts would result in deterioration of clinical research and patient care nationally.
