working to make it happen. doctors and researchers around the world are developing new tools to improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases to tailor treatment for all illnesses through precision medicine and to make life better for millions of people." fox testified before congress about the issue almost 16 years ago urging lawmakers to earmark more money for parkinson's research. so how far away are we from finding new cures? and what role can the federal government play in getting us closer? we're joined by former congressman rush holt, also a scientist, a physicist i believe, and now ceo of the american association for the advancement of science. good morning congressman. >> good morning, richard. good to be with you. >> so a lot of this funding goes into the national institutes of health of course. nih funding i remember the days when it was handed on a platter to any nih director who walked into congress and then it stagnated. doubled for a while and stagnated. what is the current prospect for this kind of biomedical research