American Physiological Society Launches National Campaign to Champion Physiology’s Impact on Biomedical Discovery

'Physiology: The Science Life Depends On' comes at a critical time for research funding in science

Rockville, Md. (Nov. 6, 2025)-The American Physiological Society (APS) today launched Physiology: The Science Life Depends On. This nationwide campaign mobilizes scientists in academia and industry, federal decision-makers and research funders to spotlight physiology's essential role in biomedical discovery, public health and scientific innovation.

The initiative comes amid federal research funding freezes and billions in cuts that stall grants, slow clinical progress and push researchers out of the field. APS is rallying the scientific community to send a clear message: investing in foundational research is a national imperative.

From healthy aging to cancer and heart disease, physiology explains how the body works-providing the foundation for every diagnosis, therapy and cure. With private funding largely directed toward late-stage product development, federal investment in foundational and exploratory research-such as physiology-is irreplaceable. This campaign calls for renewed, reliable support and investment in physiological research to sustain scientific progress and fuel the innovation pipeline.

"We are at a critical crossroads for biomedical discovery," said APS CEO Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE. "Without physiology, which uncovers the complex ways bodies function, innovation stalls. Without understanding, there are no discoveries, no therapies and no cures. That's why APS is launching Physiology: The Science Life Depends On to elevate the understanding of the critical role physiology plays in science. Now more than ever, we must protect and restore funding for basic research so we do not forfeit the cures, prevention strategies and medical breakthroughs the next decade could deliver."

Campaign Resources

Physiology: The Science Life Depends On launches with a new digital hub, featuring a new brief, "Fight for Physiology: The Science Life Depends On," which lays out what is at stake and how protecting discovery today safeguards future cures and ensures global competitiveness. The report outlines specific actions that individuals in academia, industry and government can take to strengthen and protect the field of physiology. The site also includes key stories of physiological breakthroughs, from how pregnancy affects lifelong health to the future of pig-to-human organ transplants and more.

Through compelling storytelling, multimedia content and live events over the next year, this campaign will show how physiology connects every level of life-from genes and cells to organ systems and whole-body health-fueling solutions that improve lives.

"Physiology doesn't always make today's headlines-but it makes tomorrow's breakthroughs possible," said APS President Robert Hester, PhD, FAPS. "Physiology is an essential, modern driver of biomedical innovation. It's time to reintroduce this field to the world-not as the science of the past, but as the science our future depends on."

For more information about the campaign, visit fightforphysiology.org.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: For more information, please contact [email protected]. Find more highlights in APS' Newsroom.   

About the American Physiological Society

Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.  Learn more at https://www.physiology.org.