Program objective

The National Institute of and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) mission is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. The Extramural Program promotes and supports basic, translational, and clinical studies of Systemic Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, Skin Biology and Diseases, Bone Biology and Diseases, Muscle Biology and Diseases, and Joint Biology and Diseases and Orthopaedics. NIAMS Systemic Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases programs address basic, translational, and clinical research, including clinical trials and observational and mechanistic studies, focused on immune-mediated arthritis and autoimmune-related acute and chronic disorders in adults and children. NIAMS Skin Biology and Diseases programs support basic, translational, and clinical research in skin, including both common and rare skin diseases. These programs include investigations of the basic molecular, cellular, and developmental biology of skin, as well as studies of skin as an immune, sensory, endocrine, and metabolic organ. NIAMS Bone Biology and Diseases programs support research on the control of bone formation, resorption, and mineralization as well as the effects of signaling molecules on bone cells. They support clinical studies of interventions to prevent fractures associated with osteoporosis and research into less common bone diseases. NIAMS Muscle Biology and Diseases programs encourage research on muscle developmental biology, growth, maintenance, and hypertrophy; physiology of contraction; structural biology of the contractile apparatus; disease mechanisms; biomarkers and outcome measures; and development and clinical testing of therapies for conditions including the muscular dystrophies. NIAMS Joint Biology, Diseases, and Orthopaedics programs support a broad spectrum of research centered on the interplay among the body’s muscles, bones, and connective tissues. They encourage tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research, molecular biology, imaging, and clinical research, and the treatment and prevention of orthopaedic conditions. NIAMS participates in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The SBIR program is intended to increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal research and development; to increase small business participation in Federal research and development; and to foster and encourage participation of socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and women-owned small business concerns in technological innovation. The STTR program is intended to stimulate and foster scientific and technological innovation through cooperative research and development carried out between small business concerns and research institutions; to foster technology transfer between small business concerns and research institutions; to increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal research and development; and to foster and encourage participation of socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and women-owned small business concerns in technological innovation.