Sir

The rapidly deepening financial crisis, reported on Nature's Recession Watch site (http://tinyurl.com/d4gy28), raises important questions about the future of medical research at a time when health care itself is under pressure.

As the crisis grows in pace and extent, it is difficult to predict its full effects, even on state-backed organizations such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Health Service (NHS). Organizations such as the MRC and NIH, which receive direct funding from governments, also work closely with research councils, industry and other stakeholders to produce high-quality research. Active research aids decision-making about health standards, health policy and discovery of new drugs and treatments. There is evidence that doing research during medical training enhances a student's vision and performance later in academic research.

If funding to research organizations is reduced, the results may not be seen for three to five years — but they will be devastating. Global measures need to be taken to secure both domestic health-care requirements and research funding.

First, it is imperative to continue to improve standards of health care and patient safety. Second, additional funds must be allocated to continue health care research while safeguarding basic health needs. Finally, alternatives for financing health care and research should be explored. An amalgamation between health-care and research agendas could shield organizations from disastrous expenditure in this financially grim period.