Better cancer drugs that zero in on a tumor with fewer side effects. A universal flu vaccine that could fight every strain of influenza without needing a yearly shot.

Research into potentially life-saving products like these will be delayed and newer discoveries shelved if Congress can't avert impending budget cuts that the director of the National Institutes of Health warns will have far-reaching effects. "All diseases will feel the consequences, I'm afraid," Dr. Francis Collins told The Associated Press. "We're in this amazing revolution," Collins added. The faster promising leads are funded, "the more lives are saved." The NIH, the leading funder of biomedical research, will lose $1.6 billion this year, about 5.1 percent of its budget, if automatic cuts go through next month, Collins said. That means hundreds of medical research projects around the country may go unfunded, while multi-year projects already under way could be scaled back. The ripple effect, Collins said: About 20,000 jobs nationwide could be lost in university and other research laboratories nationwide. NIH's budget hasn't kept pace with inflation over the past decade, resulting in what Collins calculates is a 20 percent erosion in the agency's buying power during a time of unprecedented scientific discovery. A decade ago, NIH was funding about 1 in every 3 grant applications. Today that's dropped to 1 in 6, before the upcoming cuts. President Barack Obama argued the economic value of preserving medical research in his State of the Union address, saying every dollar the government invested to map the human genome returned $140 to the economy. Other health impacts from the planned cuts, as outlined in a letter to lawmakers by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: —Health departments will give 424,000 fewer tests for the AIDS virus this year. —About 7,400 fewer HIV patients will be able to get life-saving medication through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. —The Food and Drug Administration will conduct 2,100 fewer inspections of food manufacturing firms this year. —More than 373,000 seriously ill people may not receive needed mental health services. Also, Medicare, the government health care program for the elderly, is slated for a 2 percent cut in payments to service providers.

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No one went to Rihanna's Saturday night debut as a fashion designer expecting demure dresses set off with tasteful pearls. So no one was surprised by the double-volume hip-hop music, smoke machines and champagne that greeted guests at the unveiling of her Rihanna for River Island collection. And few were taken aback by the bad girl, rock chick styling of some of her clothes, with tight-fitting jersey outfits and dresses cut to show more than a bit of leg. It was a fun, flattering collection aimed at young women, containing nothing shocking or outrageous from a singer who has been known to bring those elements to her live performances. Many of the outfits had a simple, monochrome look — in off-reds, yellow, navy, black and other colors — and they were cut to look good on those blessed with a fit physique. Some were satin, some jersey, and some of the short skirts were made with denim and matched with crop tops or T-shirts. Rihanna also tried her hand at a few elegant, semi-sheer dresses that were predominantly black with white floral patterns. Some models wore shirts tied around their waists, Rihanna-style. The singer appeared unusually shy but happy in her brief appearance on the catwalk to take in the audience's applause. She wore a short black dress as she waved to her fans. The collection will be sold at River Island stores throughout the world.