Biophysical Society Bulletin | March 2026

Public Affairs

proposals included research areas such as transgender health, environmental health, vaccine hesitancy, workforce diversity, and COVID-19. According to court filings, the actions followed executive di rectives that restricted certain categories of federally funded research. NIH staff were instructed to terminate or suspend grants and applications that were deemed inconsistent with those directives. The NIH has not provided a timeline for com pleting the reviews or indicated how many applications will be reconsidered. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced in late January that it will no longer provide funding for research in volving human fetal tissue. The decision takes effect immedi ately and applies to both intramural and extramural research programs. The NIH stated that while agency funds may no longer be used for research involving human fetal tissue, projects cur rently underway may continue if those funds are re-budgeted for other approved research activities. Funding for research using human fetal tissue has declined in recent years. In fiscal year 2024, the NIH supported 77 such grants totaling $53 million, representing a small portion of the agency’s $48 billion budget. NIH Ends Funding for Research Involving Human Fetal Tissue

The NIH also indicated that it plans to review its policies re lated to research using human embryonic stem cells. In fiscal year 2024, more than 600 NIH-funded projects, totaling $322 million, involved the use of human embryonic stem cells. The agency said it intends to seek public input on technologies that could reduce or replace the use of these cells. Federal Court Upholds $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee; Appeals Fast-Tracked A federal court has upheld a policy requiring a $100,000 fee for certain new H-1B visa petitions, and legal challenges to the policy are moving through the US court system. In a De cember 23 ruling, US District Court Judge Beryl Howell declined a summary judgment motion from the US Chamber of Com merce and related business groups seeking to block the fee, finding that the fee policy falls within the authority granted by federal immigration law. As a result, the fee requirement remains in place while litigation continues. After that decision, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed to expedite the appeal of the case, in which business and research organizations are challenging the fee’s legality. Plaintiffs, including the Chamber of Com merce and other groups, continue to pursue legal arguments against the fee. The outcome to date means that the fee remains in effect for new H-1B visa petitions subject to its provisions, and additional court decisions on the appeal will shape the fee’s longer-term status.

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March 2026

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