Nearly 1 in 30 clinical trials were interrupted by funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health, affecting more than 74,000 patients and research into cancer, infectious disease and more, according to a paper published Monday.

Clinical trials are the best way for researchers to study how medical interventions affect a patient population, doctors say.

"The types of trials that are affected are among the most rigorous way that we generate scientific evidence: randomized clinical trials," said Dr. Anupam B. Jena, a study author and professor at Harvard Medical School. "It would be one thing if studies affected by terminated grants focused on less rigorous or important forms of research, but clinical trials are important, gold-standard in terms of evidence generation, time-intensive

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