April 30, 2020

NEWS

Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Funding Plan

The NIAMS is operating under the FY 2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act. The interim funding plan for research and training grants represents the most current information as of April 1, 2020.


COVID-19 News and Resources

COVID-19

COVID-19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. Get the latest public health information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the latest research information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In addition, please note this information for researchers:


Bone-Building Protein Delivered Orally to Mice Using Plants

Bone-Building Protein

In an investigation funded in part by the NIAMS, diabetic mice showed accelerated healing of bone fractures when fed plants that were engineered to carry a bone-building protein. This proof-of-concept study adds to recent findings showing that plants can be used to deliver protein-based drugs safely from the mouth to the bloodstream.


Scientists Pinpoint Traitorous Immune Cells in Lupus

immune cell

Researchers led by NIAMS Senior Investigator Mariana J. Kaplan, M.D., Chief of the Intramural Research Program’s Systemic Autoimmunity Branch, have found that a particular variety of neutrophils, a type of immune cell, in a specific stage of its life cycle is a primary culprit behind the autoimmune disease lupus.


NIH Researchers Discover Gene for Rare Disease of Excess Bone Tissue Growth: Findings Provide Insight That May Inform Search for Treatments

hands bones

Researchers from the NIH have discovered a second gene that causes melorheostosis, a rare group of conditions involving an often painful and disfiguring overgrowth of bone tissue. Work is underway to develop an animal model with a mutant version of this gene to test potential treatments for the condition. The research team included scientists from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the NIAMS, the NIH Clinical Center and the Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute of Osteology in Austria.


Insights Into Skin Formation

Skin

Researchers funded in part by the NIAMS discovered how distinct liquid droplets within cells help build the skin’s outer layer. The study, which used human skin cells and mouse models, may lead to a better understanding of skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.


Autoimmunity May Be Rising in the United States

cell under microscope

In research led by the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), scientists found that autoimmunity, measured by the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies, the most common biomarker of autoimmunity, was significantly increasing in the United States—particularly in certain groups. These groups include males, non-Hispanic whites, adults age 50 years and older and adolescents.

Funding Opportunities

NIAMS Encourages Applications for the NIAMS Resource-based Centers Program (P30) for Research Areas Within its Mission in Bone, Muscle and Orthopaedic Research

The NIAMS has issued a Request for Applications (RFA-AR-21-004) for P30 Centers for critical research infrastructure, shared facilities, services and/or resources to groups of investigators conducting research on bone, muscle and orthopaedic biology and diseases. The broad overall goal is to accelerate, enrich and enhance the effectiveness of ongoing basic, translational and clinical research and to promote new research within these areas of the NIAMS mission. The deadline for applications is August 11, 2020.


NIAMS Encourages Applications for the NIAMS Resource-based Centers Program (P30) for Research Areas Within its Mission in Rheumatic Research

The NIAMS has issued a Request for Applications (RFA-AR-21-002) for P30 Centers for critical research infrastructure, shared facilities, services and/or resources to groups of investigators conducting research on rheumatic diseases. The broad overall goal is to accelerate, enrich and enhance the effectiveness of ongoing basic, translational and clinical research and to promote new research on rheumatic diseases within the NIAMS mission. The deadline for applications is October 6, 2020.


Request for Information (RFI): Input To Advance Artificial Intelligence (AI)-ready Data Generation and Scalable Computational Approaches in NIAMS Research

This RFI (NOT-AR-20-009) invites public comments on the needs and opportunities for developing, advancing and implementing scalable computational approaches; and for generating or repurposing existing AI-ready datasets in support of NIAMS research. The response deadline is July 1, 2020.

Stay Updated About Funding Announcements

If you would like information about funding opportunities, please view the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, the primary source for information about NIH funding opportunities. You can also request a weekly Table of Contents from the NIH Guide. In addition, the NIAMS website provides comprehensive information on NIAMS-related grants and processes.

RESOURCES

Spotlight on Scientific Imagery: Adipocytes From Mouse Fiber of Pompe Disease

cell under microscope

This image shows adipocytes derived from a muscle fiber of Pompe disease mouse. Lipid is stained green and DNA is blue. Pompe disease is a rare genetic disorder that results in profound muscle weakness. The disease is caused by mutations in the gene that instructs the body to make an enzyme called acid alpha-glucosidase.

Photo credit: NIAMS Intramural Research Program


Executive Summary: NIAMS Coalition 2019 Outreach and Education Meeting: Creating Connections for Science

NIAMS Coalition

The NIAMS held its seventh biennial Coalition Outreach and Education Meeting: Creating Connections for Science on October 16, 2019. Read the executive summary here.


AHRQ Program Update: Treatments for Chronic Pain Final Reports Available

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Program has published research on these topics relating to chronic pain associated with various conditions, including back and neck pain, hip and knee osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia.


NIAMS Forum for Clinical Mentored K Awardees—December 2019

The Forum featured research presentations by the investigators in the third year of their K award. The scientists briefly outlined their research projects and progress. Learn more about the event here.


NIH News in Health: Finger Numbness: Could It Be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

hand warp

If you have tingling or numbness in your hand or fingers, it could be a sign that you have carpal tunnel syndrome. You might get pain in your thumb, index and middle fingers, and your hands may feel clumsy. Read this article to learn about causes and treatments, and to get tips that may help relieve symptoms.

We invite you to subscribe to the NIAMS Community Outreach Bulletin, which is an online digest designed to inform community advocates and health professionals about resources for diverse audiences on conditions of the bones, joints, muscles and skin and ways to stay healthy. The NIAMS also publishes the Honoring Health: Resources for American Indians and Alaska Natives e-newsletter, which is distributed three times per year and highlights a different health topic for each issue, along with helpful resources for community members and health professionals.

EVENTS

June NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting (Virtual Meeting)

The next NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held June 9, 2020. This meeting will only be available for viewing via the NIH videocasting service. See the meeting agenda.

NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting

NIH Pain Consortium Symposium 2020: Technologies for Improved Understanding and Management of Pain

June 3, 2020
Agenda and registration information will be posted.


NIH Science Lectures and Events Available via Internet

The NIH hosts a number of science seminars and events that are available online through real-time streaming video (videocast). The NIH calendar notes these videocast events with a video icon video icon.

Funding Announcements

If you would like information about funding opportunities, please view the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts, the primary source for information about NIH funding opportunities. You can also request a weekly Table of Contents from the NIH Guide. In addition, the NIAMS website provides comprehensive information on NIAMS-related grants and processes.

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