NEWS
Requesting Input: NIAMS Strategic Plan 2025‒2029
NIAMS is updating its Strategic Plan to help guide the research it supports. The new plan will cover fiscal years 2025‒2029 and will focus on cross-cutting thematic research opportunities where the Institute can be best positioned to make a difference in the lives of all Americans. NIAMS invites feedback from researchers in academia and industry, health care professionals, patient advocates and health advocacy organizations, scientific or professional organizations, federal agencies, and interested members of the public. Professional societies and patient organizations are strongly encouraged to submit a single response that reflects the views of their membership as a whole. Responses can be submitted on this website and are due November 30, 2022.
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Funding Plan
NIAMS is operating under the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The interim funding plan for research and training grants represents the most current information as of the date cited on the web page.
COVID-19 Updates
Get the latest public health information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the latest funding opportunities and research news from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additional news and resources include:
- T Cells Protect Against COVID-19 in Absence of Antibody Response (NIH Research Matters)
- Long COVID Symptoms Linked to Inflammation (NIH Research Matters)
- Treating Anxiety and Depression During the Pandemic With a Mobile App (NIH COVID-19 Research)
- How COVID-19 and Community Violence Affect Mothers and Babies (NIH COVID-19 Research)
- Antiviral Nasal Spray Shows Promise Fighting COVID-19 (NIH COVID-19 Research)
- COVID-19 Was Third Leading Cause of Death in the United States in Both 2020 and 2021 (NIH News Release)
Cartilage Preservation and Restoration in Knee Osteoarthritis: Challenges, Gaps, and Opportunities Roundtable on September 22, 2022
On September 22, 2022, watch NIH videocast, “Cartilage Preservation and Restoration for Knee Osteoarthritis.” NIAMS is planning this roundtable to engage stakeholders in discussing challenges, gaps, and opportunities regarding regenerative medicine approaches for cartilage preservation and restoration in knee osteoarthritis and where and how NIAMS could play a role and move the field forward.
A Biological Betrayal: Mariana Kaplan Aims to Stop the Immune System From Harming the Cells It Is Supposed to Defend
Mariana Kaplan, M.D., Chief of the Systemic Autoimmunity Branch in the NIAMS Intramural Research Program, aims to stop the immune system from harming the cells it is supposed to defend. Her unique expertise is being applied to various disease areas, including autoimmune diseases, especially systemic lupus erythematosus, or lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome, inflammatory illnesses, and COVID-19.
Exercise-Induced Molecule Reduces Obesity in Mice
Researchers supported in part by NIAMS found that a molecule, called “Lac-Phe,” produced during exercise by various mammals—including people—reduces food consumption and obesity in mice.
NIAMS Awards Two FY 2021 Supplements to Advance Research (STAR) From Projects to Programs—Enhancing NIH Support for Early-Career Stage Investigators
The NIAMS STAR program provided two funding supplements to early-career stage investigators who have renewed their first NIAMS-funded R01 grant:
Erika Geisbrecht, Ph.D., is a Professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Kansas State University in Manhattan. She leads a NIAMS-supported research project using the Drosophila model to determine mechanisms that prevent protein aggregation, and ultimately cellular degeneration, in muscle.
Corey Neu, Ph.D., is the Donnelly Family Endowed Professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He leads a NIAMS-funded research project to establish a noninvasive imaging method of measuring cartilage strain to predict osteoarthritis development.
Announcement From the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium (AMP® BGTC)
The AMP® BGTC announced that it has selected 14 rare disease candidates, including two rare orthopaedic conditions—fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva and mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS, IVA, Morquio A Syndrome). In addition, a new request for proposals has been issued for clinical trial proposals directed to one of the 14 bespoke indications.
FDA Approves Topical Treatment Addressing Repigmentation in Vitiligo in Patients Age 12 and Older
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Opzelura (ruxolitinib) cream for the treatment of nonsegmental vitiligo in adult and pediatric patients age 12 and older. Opzelura is a topical Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
NIAMS Rheumatic Diseases Research Resource-based Centers (P30 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-AR-23-002)
Application due date: September 13, 2022
Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Centers (MDSRC) (P50 Clinical Trial Optional) (RFA-AR-23-001)
Application due date: September 30, 2022
Regenerative Medicine Innovation Project
- Regenerative Medicine Innovation Project (RMIP) Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (UG3/UH3 – Clinical Trial Required) (RFA-HL-23-017)
- Regenerative Medicine Innovation Project (RMIP) Investigator-Initiated Studies (Collaborative U01 – Clinical Trials Not Allowed) (RFA-HL-23-019)
- Regenerative Medicine Innovation Project (RMIP) Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34 – Clinical Trials Not Allowed) (RFA-HL-23-020)
Due date for all opportunities: October 6, 2022
NIH HEAL Initiative®: Planning Studies for Initial Analgesic Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-NS-21-029)
Next application due date: October 11, 2022
Limited Competition: Promoting a Basic Understanding of Chemical Threats to Skin (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAS-21-245)
Next application due date: October 16, 2022
Clinical Studies of Orphan Products Addressing Unmet Needs of Rare Diseases (R01) Clinical Trials Required (RFA-FD-23-001)
Application due date: October 25, 2022
NIH Loan Repayment Program Funding Opportunity Announcements
Application due date period for FY 2023 awards: September 1 to November 17, 2022. Additional information is available.
Notice of Special Interest: Promoting Research on COVID-19 and Rheumatic, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases (NOT-AR-22-012)
Multiple due dates through January 7, 2023
Notice of Informational Webinar on the NIH Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Program Funding Opportunity Announcements (K99/R00 and UE5) (NOT-GM-22-044)
Potential applicants to the MOSAIC Program to Enhance Diversity K99/R00 Funding Opportunity Announcements are invited to attend an upcoming informational webinar on September 14, 2022.
Stay Updated About Funding Announcements
If you would like information about grants and funding opportunities, subscribe to funding-dedicated email newsletters, including periodic NIAMS Funding Alerts and a monthly NIAMS Funding News email, and follow our Twitter account (@NIAMSFunding) focused on funding opportunities. Also check out 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: Muscle-Specific Stem Cells on Mouse Muscle Fibers
This microscopic image shows a cross-section of regenerating mouse leg muscle. The matrix surrounding the muscle cells is stained green for the protein laminin. DNA in the muscle fiber nuclei are stained blue. Nestled alongside the muscle fibers are a few muscle-specific stem cells, stained pinkish-red for Pax7. Researchers have found that injecting the molecule prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) into muscles after injury induces muscle stem cell division and accelerates regeneration. PGE2 is an inflammatory molecule that is produced by immune cells in response to muscle injury.
Photo credit: Helen M. Blau, Ph.D., Andrew T.V. Ho, Ph.D., and Adelaida R Palla, Ph.D., Stanford University School of Medicine
NIAMS Roundtable Summaries
NIAMS regularly hosts roundtable discussions and workshops focused on scientific fields within its mission. These meetings bring together researchers, clinicians, patient advocates, and other experts to discuss unmet needs, opportunities, and challenges within the context of the Institute’s research portfolio.
EVENTS
September NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting (Virtual Meeting)
The next NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held virtually on September 14, 2022. The meeting will be available for viewing via the NIH videocasting service. A video recording of the previous NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting on June 7, 2022, is available.
NIH Science Lectures and Events Available via Internet
The 2022–2023 Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series season begins in September.
- Gaining New Insights Into "Fundamental Immunology" Using Imaging and Computation
October 19, 2022
2 to 3 p.m. ET
William E. Paul Lecture
Ron Germain, M.D., Ph.D., NIAID, NIH
In addition, look for past videocasts, including:
For additional online science seminars and events hosted by the NIH, view the NIH VideoCast Future Events and the (new) NIH calendar.