Overall Budget Policy: Investigator-initiated research projects and new investigator research are the institute’s highest priorities. To maintain a balance of research support, NIGMS carefully evaluates investigator-initiated requests to submit grant applications for all large programs. The level of support provided for institute-initiated projects (e.g., RFAs) in areas of science that need stimulation is also carefully evaluated. A scientific review of all research grant applications is conducted and the results are presented to the NIGMS Advisory Council for input prior to making funding decisions. Developing a strong scientific workforce is a core element of the NIGMS mission. In addition to our research funding activities, we support this goal through a range of training programs. Intramural Research and Research Management and Support receive modest increases to help offset the cost of pay and other increases. NIGMS will continue to support new investigators and to maintain an adequate number of competing RPGs.
Program Descriptions and Accomplishments
» Cell Biology and Biophysics
» Genetics and Developmental Biology
» Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry
» Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
» Minority Opportunities in Research
» Research Training
» Intramural
» Research Management and Support
Cell Biology and Biophysics: The Cell Biology and Biophysics program fosters the study of cells and their components. Physics- and chemistry-based technological advances, driven by new types of microscopy, structural biology tools, and many other novel imaging techniques, have deepened understanding of life at the level of molecules and atoms. This basic research promotes the development of precise, targeted therapies and diagnostics for a range of diseases.
In FY 2007, the program's Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) reported significant progress toward its goal of making protein structure determination faster, easier, cheaper, and more useful to a broad range of biological scientists. PSI-funded scientists determined 748 new structures, for a total of more than 2,500 structures since the initiative began in 2000. The average cost per structure is now $66,000, compared to $94,000 in FY 2006 and $138,000 in FY 2005. To share PSI resources with the scientific community, the program established a materials repository and a knowledge base of PSI data and research tools.
In FY 2008, scientists funded by the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research and the PSI participated in determining the structure of an important protein in the cell’s outer membrane. This work also depended on investments in structure determination technology made in partnership by NIGMS and the National Cancer Institute. The techniques they developed will make it easier to determine the structures of other membrane proteins, which have been notoriously difficult to work with. Because these proteins are the targets of more than half of all drugs, the work has clear relevance for drug development and enhancement.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for the CBB program is $587,624,000, a decrease of $745,000 or -.13% from the FY 2008 estimate. The majority of CBB FY 2009 funds will be used to support investigator-initiated research projects in cell biology, biophysics, cellular imaging, and structural biology. In FY 2009, CBB will continue to support the Protein Structure Initiative (PSI), a 10-year project begun in 2000 that aims to make protein structure determination a rapid and inexpensive enterprise. CBB will also use FY 2009 funds to support an AIDS-related structural biology program.
Genetics and Developmental Biology: The mission of the Genetics and Developmental Biology (GDB) program is to promote basic research that aims to understand fundamental mechanisms of inheritance and development. This research underlies more targeted projects supported by other NIH institutes and centers. Much of GDB’s investigator-initiated research is performed in model organisms, an approach that continues to deepen understanding of common diseases and diverse behaviors.
In FY 2007, the program held the second NIGMS Workshop on Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research to provide an opportunity for its grantees who are conducting basic research on human embryonic stem cells to report on their recent progress, exchange information, and identify challenges and opportunities unique to this promising area of science. The presentations and discussions demonstrated advances in technologies and approaches that are leading to a better understanding of self-renewal, pluripotency, and differentiation of the cells. The challenges and opportunities identified at the workshop are reflected in a request for applications issued later in the same fiscal year to support program projects on basic stem cell research.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for the GDB program is $485,464,000, a decrease of $615,000 and -.13% from the FY 2008 estimate. In FY 2009, most GDB expenditures will support individual investigators seeking fundamental knowledge about life processes. The budget will also support systems-based approaches for understanding how genes that contribute to common diseases interact with each other and with external influences to bring about their effect.
Portrait of a Program: Cell and DNA Repository Fuels Post-Genome Research
FY 2008 Level: $3 million
FY 2009 Level: $3 million
Change $0 million
Scientists researching a wide range of topics—from rare neurological disorders to how people respond to drugs and how DNA varies among individuals—have relied upon the same valuable resource for 35 years: the NIGMS-funded Human Genetic Cell Repository. This carefully maintained "warehouse" of human cells and DNA contains nearly 10,000 cell lines used by biomedical researchers across the country and around the world. Most of these cell lines are derived from blood or skin samples. The collection includes lines of cells and DNA from people with inherited diseases, people who are apparently healthy, and people from diverse geographic locations.
Housed at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden, New Jersey, the repository collection represents more than 500 diseases and dozens of geographic origins. This rich resource is especially useful to scientists looking for genetic contributions to rare diseases, since there are often limited numbers of people with these diseases who can participate in clinical studies. Samples from the repository also help researchers understand how genetic variation can influence the development of many complex conditions like breast cancer, birth defects, and heart disease.
In addition to assuring the scientific quality of samples contained in the repository, NIGMS has taken a special interest in ethical issues surrounding the use of these specimens. For example, the Institute took the lead in hosting several community consultations related to the collection and use of human population-based samples. NIGMS then spearheaded the development of NIH ethical guidelines described in "Points to Consider When Planning a Genetic Study that Involves Members of Named Populations."
In FY 2008 and FY 2009, NIGMS plans to continue to fund the repository at similar levels as in the past. The Institute expects that the repository will be increasingly important as research teams seek to understand and apply genetic information yielded by the Human Genome Project.
Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry: The mission of the Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry (PPBC) program is to support fundamental research in chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology that contributes to understanding human biology in health and disease, and that generates knowledge for new diagnostics and therapeutics. PPBC funds molecular-level studies as well as research that explores clinical issues involving whole-body responses in important public health areas such as traumatic injury, burns, and anesthesia.
In FY 2007, NIGMS performed an administrative review of the program’s Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base (PharmGKB). External consultants concluded that PharmGKB plays a valuable role in providing curated information to the scientific community about the relationships among genes, drugs, and diseases. In particular, the evaluation panel praised PharmGKB for facilitating the creation and functioning of the Warfarin Consortium. Warfarin is a blood-thinning drug that is widely used despite considerable challenges in determining the proper dose for each patient. The consortium effort promises to set new paradigms for data sharing and for the extraction of maximum value from multiple small data sets. If successful, the consortium will generate a robust algorithm for the dosing of warfarin that is guided by knowledge of each patient's genetic makeup.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for the PPBC program is $397,617,000, a decrease of $504,000 and -.13% from the FY 2008 estimate. The program plans for FY 2009 are as follows. PPBC will continue to emphasize the support of investigator-initiated research grants. The Pharmacogenetics Research Network, which is working toward promoting the goal of personalized medicine, will continue to receive support in FY 2009. PPBC will also renew its support in FY 2009 translational centers to improve understanding of basic physiological processes and clinical complications from serious injury, and for centers that will create diverse chemical libraries for use in drug discovery and biomedical research.
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology: The Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB) supports research that draws expertise from mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, and physics to answer problems in biomedicine. CBCB emphasizes integrated, systems approaches that pair computational studies with laboratory-based investigations. Other projects create virtual laboratories that address questions difficult to tackle in the laboratory. CBCB also encourages the development of tools and techniques to acquire, store, analyze, and visualize data.
In FY 2007, the program funded three new National Centers for Systems Biology to advance the study of the complex interactions occurring inside biological systems and to train more scientists in this emerging field. This national effort, launched in 2002 and now totaling 10 centers, will broaden and deepen the understanding of how various factors contribute to the functioning of cells, tissues, and organisms. Among the exciting studies emerging from these centers is one published in FY 2007 that combines live imaging with quantitative approaches to shed light on embryonic development. The research reveals how a chemical gradient allows a developing fruit fly embryo to determine positional information that enables it to differentiate, for example, between its head and its tail.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for the CBCB program is $92,008,000, a decrease of $117,000 and -.13% from the FY 2008 estimate. As with last year, the highest priority will be given to investigator-initiated research, since this research will continue to yield information and tools for exploring complex biological systems. The Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS), which models the spread of infectious diseases, will receive increased funding in FY 2009, subject to NAGMS Council review and approval. A second major initiative employing FY 2009 funds is the Centers for Systems Biology program.
Portrait of a Program: Centers for Systems Biology
FY 2008 Level: $19.4 million
FY 2009 Level: $19.4 million
Change $0
The human body is one of the most complicated systems we know. But even seemingly simple biological systems, such as individual cells, are staggeringly complex, with thousands of molecules interacting in intricate ways. Decades of research and large-scale efforts such as the Human Genome Project have generated a vast amount of information about genes, proteins, and other molecules, but to develop a level of understanding that is truly predictive, we need sophisticated computational approaches to monitor and model how the molecules work together in cells, organs, and tissues.
This new field, now often referred to as systems biology, brings together teams of scientists who merge detailed knowledge of key biological questions with state-of-the-art mathematical and computer methods. To foster collaborative research in this vital area of modern science, NIGMS established a systems biology program in FY 2002. Since then, the Institute has funded 10 centers, including three in FY 2007. Some center scientists are examining how cells make decisions as they participate in networks within and between organs. At other centers, researchers are looking at how drugs—both therapeutic and abused—affect organ systems such as the heart and the brain, or how combinations of genes influence health and behavior. All of the centers rely on the interplay between experiment and computational modeling, making predictions and then testing them in detail.
A key aspect of the NIGMS systems biology program is training: Without a community of scientists to continue to push the development of this new field over the coming years, the ability of systems biology to address problems related to human health will be greatly inhibited. Thus, the centers have a strong emphasis on education and outreach. One in particular has thrown out traditional teaching approaches in favor of a dramatically new and exciting way to pair math and biology in beginning college courses.
NIGMS plans to continue the systems biology program in FY 2008 by funding up to three new centers in response to a request for applications and anticipates ongoing support for the program in FY 2009.
Minority Opportunities in Research: The mission of the Minority Opportunities in Research program is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities performing biomedical and behavioral research. Through support provided to institutions with substantial minority enrollments, the program aims to strengthen the pipeline of minority researchers.
FY 2007 marked a period of transition for several of the program's longstanding activities. Research support to faculty at minority-serving institutions is now offered at three different levels, depending on how well developed the applicant is as a research scientist. Another major change is that these grants will now be administered by program officers across NIH who manage research in the scientific areas of the grants, rather than being administered solely by NIGMS staff. Three other activities were reannounced with an emphasis on institutional goals and objectives and a de-emphasis on the outcomes of individual trainees. These activities cover the research training of honors undergraduate students, facilitating the transition of students from associate to baccalaureate and from master’s to Ph.D. studies, and encouraging postbaccalaureate students to pursue Ph.D.s in biomedically relevant sciences.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for the MORE program is $125,600,000, a decrease of $43,000 and -.03% from the FY 2008 estimate. In FY 2009, NIGMS program staff will continue to reorganize existing programs to comply with recommendations issued from a working group of the NAGMS Council that advised the institute to rebalance its MORE portfolio. These efforts will place greater emphasis on student development and training. In FY 2009, MORE will also continue to examine the current state of research on interventions that influence the participation of underrepresented minorities in the biomedical and behavioral science.
Research Training: The Research Training program provides broad-based, multidisciplinary research training for the next generation of biomedical and behavioral scientists. In addition to training programs for Ph.D. and M.D. students, NIGMS supports postdoctoral fellows through advanced and specialized training in basic, translational, and clinical research, and also funds universities with a significant minority student population through the Minority Access to Research Careers program. This year, the Institute introduced a new program that supports the research training of basic behavioral scientists. Independent of institutional training grant activities, NIGMS also supports the training of students and fellows working in individual-investigator laboratories.
In FY 2007, the Institute made the first awards in a new institutional training grant program to support the research training of basic behavioral scientists. These programs are expected to provide an interdisciplinary research training experience and curriculum for predoctoral trainees that integrates both behavioral and biomedical perspectives, approaches, and methodologies.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for the Research Training program is $195,075,000, an increase of $3,102,000 or +1.62% from the FY 2008 estimate. In FY 2009, the intention of the Training program is to continue to facilitate a healthy pipeline of researchers critical to maintaining the vibrancy of the scientific enterprise. NIGMS will continue to support rigorous research training programs that foster intellectual creativity, learning of quantitative skills, and exposure to topics in human health. In FY 2009, NIGMS will continue its new program supporting the research training of basic behavioral scientists. NIGMS will continue to support the same number of FTTPs while providing a one percent increase in stipends to all predoctoral and postdoctoral Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award trainees.
Intramural: The institute has a small, but unique, intramural research program that supports postdoctoral research fellows for up to 3 years each. The Pharmacology Research Associate (PRAT) program provides scientists who have backgrounds in the basic or clinical sciences with multidisciplinary training in how drugs interact with living systems. For scientists who are already well-versed in pharmacology, the program offers experience in new fields.
In FY 2007, a scientist in the program determined the structure of an important protein complex involved in the action of the human immunodeficiency virus and in the normal degradation of proteins the cell no longer needs. He published his results in a highly prestigious scientific journal. The research of two other program scientists also received special recognition from scientific societies and federal organizations. A number of former program participants have gone on to distinguished careers in academia, industry, and government, and one has won a Nobel Prize.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for the Intramural Research program is $2,567,000, an increase of $38,000 and +1.5% from the FY 2008 estimate. The program plans for FY 2009 are as follows. NIGMS will continue its Pharmacology Research Associate (PRAT) program, which funds fellows to conduct research in intramural laboratories of other NIH institutes and centers or in Food and Drug Administration laboratories. After NIH training, many PRAT fellows further their careers in universities, industry, or government agencies, contributing expertise to the design of new, more effective, and safer drugs.
Research Management and Support: NIGMS RMS activities provide administrative, budgetary, logistical, and scientific support in the review, award, and monitoring of research grants, training awards and research and development contracts. RMS functions also encompass strategic planning, coordination, and evaluation of the institute’s programs, regulatory compliance, international coordination, and liaison with other Federal agencies, Congress, and the public. The institute currently oversees more than 4,400 research grants, 900 training grants and 20 research and support contracts.
In FY 2007, the Institute oversaw more than 4,400 research grants, 900 training grants, and 20 research and support contracts. During the same fiscal year, it engaged in intensive strategic planning efforts that included meetings with the scientific community and other outreach efforts to solicit advice and help set priorities for the future. The resulting strategic plan for 2008-2012, to be published in January 2008, conveys the Institute’s goals and values and provides a framework for its decision-making.
Budget Policy: The FY 2009 budget estimate for RMS is $51,735,000, an increase of $765,000 and +1.5% from the FY 2008 estimate. In FY 2009, RMS funds will continue to support periodic meetings with the biomedical and behavioral research community. These interactions help NIGMS assign priorities and set its research agenda for future years. Additionally, RMS funds will also be used to develop and support an NIGMS information technology architecture that utilizes and integrates trans-NIH information technology systems. This ongoing investment has already significantly reduced the use of paper files in grants administration management functions.
The NIGMS is the lead institute for the NIH Director’s Pioneer Awards initiative, the New Innovator Awards initiative, the Structural Biology initiative, and the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology initiative supported through the NIH Common Fund. Additionally, the NIGMS participates in the support of the Molecular Libraries initiative and the Interdisciplinary Research initiative funded through the NIH Common Fund.
(Previous)