The NIAMS Update is produced and distributed by the NIAMS Science Communications and Outreach Branch. It is an online resource for the NIAMS Coalition, Council, and Colleagues.
News
Fiscal Year 2022 Funding Plan
The NIAMS is currently operating under a Continuing Resolution.
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:
- SARS-CoV-2 May Cause Fetal Inflammation Even in the Absence of Placental Infection (NIH)
- Is it Flu, COVID-19, Allergies, or a Cold? (NIH News in Health)
- COVID-19 Vaccination Does Not Reduce Chances of Conception, Study Suggests (NIH)
- Researchers Highlight COVID-19 Neurological Symptoms and Need for Rigorous Studies (NIH)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Takes Actions to Expand Use of Treatment for Outpatients With Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 (FDA)
- ‘Decoy’ Protein Works Against Multiple Coronavirus Variants in Early Study (NIH Director’s Blog)
NIH Acting Director Tabak Takes Helm During Transition
Lawrence Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., assumed the role of the NIH’s acting director on December 20, 2021, to lead during this time of transition. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, J.D., named Tabak to the role on December 9, as Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., prepared to step down.
Genetic Sequencing Solves Drug Reaction Mystery: Immune System Genes Linked to Severe Side Effects in Patients With Rare Disease
The results of a collaboration between the NIAMS’ Michael Ombrello, M.D., Intramural Research Program (IRP) investigator and chief of the Translational Genetics and Genomics Unit, and Vivian E. Saper, M.D., Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, could lead to a new precision medicine approach that individualizes therapy for Still’s disease based on patients’ DNA.
Researchers Identify Cellular Pathway That Regulates Inflammatory Hair Loss
In a study exploring the relationship between hair and hair follicles and the skin’s immune system, scientists discovered a signaling pathway that, when disrupted, leads to inflammatory destruction of hair follicles—and hair loss. The research team, led by Keisuke (Chris) Nagao, M.D., Ph.D., head of NIAMS’ Cutaneous Leukocyte Biology Section, involved intramural researchers at the NIAMS and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
NIH Researchers Find Thousands of New Microorganisms Living on Human Skin
Investigators at the NIAMS, the NHGRI, and the European Bioinformatics Institute identified nearly 200 new bacteria and thousands of viruses residing on skin, far more than previously known. NIAMS authors were Heidi H. Kong, M.D., M.H.Sc., and Monica Taylor, R.N., B.S.N., of the Cutaneous Microbiome and Inflammation Laboratory.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Drug May Help Treat Rare Neurodegenerative Disorder
In a mouse model, NIH scientists, including Fatemeh Navid, Ph.D., of the NIAMS Pediatric Translational Research Branch, have repurposed riluzole, a drug currently approved to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as a potential treatment for Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1).
Nature Medicine Editor Advises How to Counter Misinformation
At the recent virtual retreat of the NIAMS IRP, Joao Monteiro, M.D., Ph.D., editor of Nature Medicine, presented the keynote talk, “Papers, Preprints, & Pandemics,” where he described how his journal adapted to the altered landscape of science communication. He then called upon scientists to help counter the spread of false information and explained how to do so.
NIAMS Staffers Look Back on Pandemic Volunteer Efforts
Read the personal reflections of five NIAMS staff members who volunteered at the NIH and in the surrounding community during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the Annals of NIH History: Where Did All the Acne Go?
In the 1970s, Gary Peck, M.D., a senior investigator in the NIH’s Dermatology Branch (then in the National Cancer Institute, now in the NIAMS), discovered that the drug isotretinoin was an effective treatment for severe acne. His work on the vitamin A derivative retinoid led to the development of isotretinoin.
FDA Approves Novel Treatment to Control Pain in Cats With Osteoarthritis, First Monoclonal Antibody Drug for Use in Any Animal Species
The FDA approved Solensia (frunevetmab injection), the first treatment for the control of pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats and the first monoclonal antibody new animal drug approved by the FDA for use in any animal species.
NIAMS Coalition 2021 Outreach and Education Meeting: Creating Connections for Science
The NIAMS held its eighth biennial Coalition Outreach and Education Meeting: Creating Connections for Science on October 27, 2021, as a virtual event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The NIAMS Coalition is an independent group of more than 90 professional and voluntary organizations interested in the mission and research areas of the NIAMS. Seventy-five representatives from 44 Coalition organizations logged on for the meeting.
Read the meeting summary.
Funding Opportunities
NIH HEAL Initiative®: Restoring Joint Health and Function to Reduce Pain Consortium (RE-JOIN) (UC2 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-AR-22-009)
Application due date: April 11, 2022; Earliest submission date: March 11, 2022
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 NIAMS’ Participation in PA-18-935 “Urgent Competitive Revision to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Urgent Supplement ‒ Clinical Trial Optional)” (NOT-AR-21-028)
Limited Competition: Promoting a Basic Understanding of Chemical Threats to Skin (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAS-21-245)
Next application due date: June 16, 2022
NIH HEAL Initiative: Planning Studies for Initial Analgesic Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-NS-21-029)
Multiple due dates; next application due date: June 9, 2022
NIH HEAL Initiative: National K12 Clinical Pain Career Development Program (K12 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-NS-22-045)
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: Extracellular Matrix
This image of the skin-muscle interface in a developing mouse limb was a winner in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s 2020 BioArt competition. Skin tissue (bright red and yellow) is located near the top of the image; blood vessels (paler red, orange, and yellow) are in the middle and branching downward; and muscle (green, blue, and purple) makes up the bottom layer.
Photo credit: Sarah Lipp, Purdue University, and Sarah Calve, University of Colorado, Boulder
NIH ODS: Updated Calcium Fact Sheets
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) has updated its Calcium Fact Sheets for consumers (English) and (Spanish) and for health professionals (English) and (Spanish).
Events
February NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting Available on Videocast
A video recording of the February 1, 2022, NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting is available. The next NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held virtually on June 7, 2022.
Rare Disease Day at NIH 2022
February 28, 2022
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET
This year’s event will feature panel discussions, rare diseases stories, virtual exhibitors, and scientific posters. A new event appis available with enhanced engagement features and easier ways for connecting with others.
Registration is required.
View the agenda.
Recording Available: Patient Engagement & Regenerative Medicine—An FDA CBER Workshop for Patient Advocates
The recording from the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) patient engagement workshop held on May 6, 2021, is available. Information on the workshop content can be found here.
NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series
Upcoming Lectures:
April 6, 2022
3 to 4 p.m. ET
Anna Huttenlocher, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison
Imaging Inflammation Resolution and Wound Repair
NIH Science Lectures and Events Available via Internet
Look for past videocasts, including:
A Virtual Farewell Tribute to NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins
This video is also available on YouTube.
For additional online science seminars and events hosted by the NIH, view the NIH VideoCast Future Events and the NIH calendar.