US cancels $15 million in grants studying discrimination and brain health

The United States government has cancelled at least three research grants worth a combined $15 million at Emory University and the University of Pittsburgh, disrupting studies of how discrimination and social conditions may affect brain health and Alzheimer’s disease risk.

The cancellations occurred by the end of July 2026, after delayed funding for the projects arrived in June, researchers told The Guardian in a report published on August 17. The grants included studies of Alzheimer’s risk in predominantly African American neighbourhoods, the effects of racial discrimination on brain white matter, and socially driven risk factors measured through surveys, imaging and blood samples.

Letters attributed to National Institutes of Health director Dr Jay Bhattacharya said the projects no longer served NIH priorities and questioned whether some variables were sufficiently concrete and measurable. Researchers involved disputed that assessment, arguing that self-reported information is an established component of epidemiology and health research.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH, did not respond to The Guardian’s request for an explanation before publication.

About 7.4 million people in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, according to figures cited in the report. Black Americans are reported to face roughly twice the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia as white Americans, making research into disparities a significant public-health issue.

The cancellations follow broader disputes over federal research funding connected to diversity, equity and inclusion. The affected grants were not covered by earlier litigation over other NIH funding cancellations, the report said.