NIH is the primary federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical and translational medical research.
[4] The institute also conducts and supports basic research on the normal structure and function of bones, joints, muscles, and skin.
April 1976—After a year of study and public hearings, the commission issued a comprehensive plan aimed at diminishing the physical, economic and psychosocial effects of arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases.
November 2000—The Lupus Research and Care Amendments of 2000, which passed as part of the Public Health Improvement Act (P.L.
October 2008—The Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education (MD-CARE) Amendments of 2008 (P.L.
In addition, the Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee was authorized to give special consideration to enhance the clinical research infrastructure to test emerging therapies.
September 2014—The Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education (MD-CARE) Amendments of 2014 (P.L.
Most funding from the NIAMS supports investigators involved in a variety of basic, clinical, epidemiologic, training, and other programs in universities, medical schools, academic health centers, and small business concerns, all of which comprise the extramural research community.
Spanning the fields of rheumatology, muscle biology, orthopedics, bone and mineral metabolism, and dermatology, the DER is divided into five distinct research areas, each of which encompasses several individual scientific programs.
As well, the DER includes an Office of Extramural Operations (OEO), which is responsible for assuring compliance with NIH and NIAMS policies and procedures with regard to scientific review, grants management, and clinical research administration.
Additionally, the programs support studies focused on the natural history of these disorders, as well as molecular mechanisms of autoimmunity and inflammation, with the goal of finding ways to disrupt them and improve patient outcomes.
The NIAMS is committed to pursuing new opportunities in genetics and genomics research, clinical trial design, pain, and biopsychosocial aspects of diseases in this portfolio.
It is also committed to identification of risk factors for these disorders, enhancement of disease prediction, and advancement of prevention strategies.
The program supports developmental and functional investigations of articular cartilage, growth plate, tendons, ligaments, menisci, infrapatellar fat pad, and intervertebral discs, with emphasis on contrasting normal and pathogenic phenotypes.
The technology development component includes methods for imaging bone and cartilage to improve the diagnosis and treatment of skeletal disorders, or to facilitate the repair of damage caused by trauma to otherwise healthy musculoskeletal tissues including bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, intervertebral disc, and meniscus.
Therapeutic approaches include drugs, nutritional interventions, joint replacement, bone and cartilage transplantation, and gene therapy.
Other studies encompass acne and the physiologic activity of the sebaceous glands, as well as disorders of the hair, such as alopecia areata.
The Office handles scientific integrity and ethical questions in research and manages the NIAMS Advisory Council, a congressionally mandated second tier of the NIH peer review system.
Through specific programs in clinical research, rheumatology fellowships and advanced training in translational medicine, and health partnerships, the Office of the Clinical Director plays an important role in establishing cutting-edge therapeutic paradigms, in providing medical education in the field of rheumatology, and in reaching out to the community to reduce health care disparities and to improve the understanding of rheumatic and related diseases.
The Translational Genetics and Genomics Unit in the Office of the Clinical Director focuses on understanding the mechanisms that underlie human inflammatory disease.
Signal transduction pathways that differentiate normal and pathological immune responses are studied in mouse models and human tissue samples to gain insights into how these processes drive autoimmune diseases, and how therapies that minimize generalized immune suppression can best be developed for these diseases.
The Laboratory of Molecular Immunogenetics conducts research on B lymphocytes focusing on the regulation of gene expression and chromatin organization in normal cells and in the setting of cancer.
The ultimate goal of these studies is to provide a conceptual, as well as practical, framework for the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases affecting skeletal muscle.
The aim of these studies is to understand cells and signals influencing tooth, bone, and periodontal ligament development in order to identify improved regenerative strategies.
These studies make extensive use of cryoelectron microscopy and three-dimensional image processing in studies of virus infection and replication; renewal of the epidermis, with maintenance of barrier function; prionogenesis (structural transitions of infectious proteins called prions); and intracellular protein quality control by energy-dependent proteases.
A major focus is the study of receptor-mediated signal transduction and how these processes link to the regulation of genes involved in inflammatory responses.
Staff members also negotiate and facilitate scientific collaborations that involve trans-Institute and trans-NIH initiatives and agreements.
The mechanisms by which specific gene mutations and polymorphisms predispose to inflammation, and how they contribute to unique phenotypic manifestations of individual diseases, are being investigated using a variety of approaches.
Laboratory scientists also collaborate with NIH intramural researchers studying the structure and function of HIV and HIV-related proteins.
In addition, the Branch leads Institute career outreach activities, administers the summer internship program, and supports the annual NIAMS Intramural Scientific Training.