Trans-NIH Research: Scientific Collaboration for the 21st Century

Committees, Working Groups, and Tasks Forces

The Bioengineering Consortium (BECON)

BECON is the focus of bioengineering activities at the NIH. BECON consists of senior-level representatives from NIH as well as representatives of other Federal agencies concerned with biomedical research and development. The mission of BECON is to foster new basic understandings, collaborations, and trans-disciplinary initiatives among the biological, medical, physical, engineering, and computational sciences. In support of this objective, BECON coordinates and facilitates research grants, training opportunities, and scientific symposia associated with biomedical engineering. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) leads BECON.

NIH Participants: NIBIB, NCI, NEI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAID, NIAMS, NICHD, NIDCD, NIDA, NIDCR, NIEHS, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS, NLM, CSR, NCRR and OER/OTT; other participating agencies are NSF, NIST, and DOE

Down Syndrome Working Group

Down syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual and developmental disability and occurs in approximately one out of every 800 births in the United States. The Down Syndrome Working Group was created to coordinate research on Down syndrome. The Working Group’s purpose is to advance ongoing NIH-supported research, to take advantage of emerging scientific opportunities, and to set the stage for future research collaborations. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) leads the Working Group.

NIH Participants: NICHD, NCI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAID, NIDA, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIMH, and NINDS

The Genes, Environment and Health Initiative (GEI)

The mission of the Genes, Environment and Health Initiative (GEI) is to understand the interaction between genes and the environment and the impact on health and disease. GEI has two main components, the Genetics Program and the Exposure Biology Program.

The Genetics Program supports genome wide association studies (GWAS) intended to identify genetic variation in groups of patients with specific illnesses. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) leads the Genetics Program.

NIH Participants: NHGRI and all NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices

The Exposure Biology Program is an environmental technology development program created to produce and validate new methods for monitoring environmental exposures that interact with a genetic variation to result in human diseases. GEI will invest in innovative new technologies to determine an individual’s biological response to environmental toxins, dietary intake, and physical activity. The Exposure Biology Program is led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

NIH Participants: NIEHS, NCI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIDA, and all NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices

The Inter-Institute Imaging Group (I3G)

The I3G meets monthly to facilitate discussion of scientific and programmatic issues in biomedical imaging. Topics range from anatomic imaging to functional and molecular imaging. Opportunities for collaborative efforts, ongoing programs and projects, and strategies for funding extramural imaging research are among the topics discussed at the meetings. I3G is led by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB).

NIH Participants: NIBIB, NCI, NEI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAID, NIAMS, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS, CC, CSR, and NCRR; other participating agencies are FDA, HHS, and NIST

Lupus Federal Working Group (LFWG)

The Lupus Federal Working Group (LFWG) provides a forum for mutual learning and sharing about lupus by enabling its members to learn about lupus research and related activities in intramural and extramural programs across NIH. To facilitate collaboration among NIH components, other Federal agencies, voluntary and professional organizations, and industry groups with an interest in lupus, the NIH established the Lupus Federal Working Group on behalf of the HHS Secretary. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) leads the Lupus Federal Working Group.

NIH Participants: NIAMS,NEI, NIAID, NICHD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NHLBI, NINDS, NCCAM, NCMHD, and ORWH; other participating agencies include AHRQ, CDC, HRSA, OWH/HHS

NIH Autism Coordinating Committee (NIH/ACC)

In 1997, at the request of Congress, the NIH formed the Autism Coordinating Committee (NIH/ACC) to enhance the quality, pace and coordination of efforts at the NIH to find a cure for autism. Since then, the NIH/ACC has been instrumental in the research into autism, the understanding of the disease, and advances in autism research (e.g., the creation of several research centers and networks to enhance the coordination and focus of autism researchers throughout the country). The Directors of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are co-chairs of the NIH/ACC.

NIH Participants: NIMH, NICHD, NIAID, NIDCD, NIEHS, NINDS, and NCCAM

NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research

The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is a cooperative effort that pools resources and expertise. The Blueprint supports the development of new tools, training opportunities, and other resources to assist neuroscientists in both basic and clinical research. The Blueprint enables daily collaboration in how the NIH conducts neuroscience research and provides a framework for planning and implementing the NIH’s neuroscience research efforts. The Blueprint does not target specific disorders. Instead, it creates common resources. Nervous system disorders appear in many forms including mental, neurological and developmental disorders, alcohol dependence, and drug addictions. Although there are clear differences, many disorders share characteristics of causation and outcome.

Tools that are useful in one area – either in the laboratory or the clinic – are likely to be useful in others. One of these tools is the Blueprint Resource Antibodies Initiative for Neurodevelopment (BRAINdev). This resource supports the creation and distribution of high-quality antibodies for use as markers in neurodevelopment research. Representatives from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) co-chair the Blueprint.

NIH Participants: NIMH, NINDS, NEI, NIA, NIAAA, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIEHS, NIGMS, NINR, NCCAM, NCRR, and OBSSR.

NIH Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative Consortium (BISTIC)

Recognizing the potential benefits to human health that can be realized from applying and advancing the field of biomedical computing, the mission of the NIH Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative Consortium (BISTIC) is to make optimal use of computer science and technology to address problems in biology and medicine. BISTIC works to foster new basic understandings, collaborations, and trans-disciplinary initiatives between the fields of computational and biomedical sciences. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences leads this consortium.

NIH Participants: NIGMS, NCI, NEI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIAMS, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIEHS, NIMH, NINDS, NINR, NLM, CC, CIT, CSR, FIC, NCMHD, NCRR, ODP, OER, OIR, OLPA, OM, DPCPSI, ORS, and OSP

NIH End of Life Special Interest Group

The NIH End-of-Life Special Interest Group provides a means for NIH Institutes and Centers interested in end-of-life research to coordinate planning activities and to communicate these activities to the broader research community. The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) leads this special interest group.

NIH Participants: NINR, NCI, and NIA; AHRQ is a participating agency.

NIH International Tuberculosis Working Group

The NIH International Tuberculosis (TB) Working Group focuses on coordinating includes studies to characterize drug resistance; the identification, preclinical development and clinical evaluation of new drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines; and studies of the epidemiology and transmission of TB, including research addressing HIV/TB co-infection and TB in high-risk populations. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) leads this working group.

NIH Participants: NIAID, NHLBI, NICHD, NIDA, NIGMS, and FIC; other participating agencies include CDC, FDA, and USAID

NIH Obesity Research Task Force

An epidemic of obesity is compromising the lives of millions of Americans. More than 65 percent of US adults and 17 percent of US children are overweight and obese. Nearly 31 percent of adults – over 61 million – are obese. Left unabated, the escalating rates of obesity in the U.S. population will place a severe burden on the Nation’s health and its healthcare system. Being obese increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, and other medical conditions. The NIH currently supports a broad spectrum of obesity-related research, and is taking important new steps to augment its obesity research portfolio.

The NIH Obesity Research Task Force, co-chaired by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), is a cooperative effort that accelerates progress in obesity research and education across the NIH.

NIH Participants: NIDDK, NHLBI, NCI, NHGRI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAMS, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCR, NIEHS, NIMH, NINDS, NINR, CSR, NCCAM, NCMHD, NCRR, OBSSR, ODP/ODS, ORWH, and NIH DNRC.

NIH Pain Consortium

The NIH Pain Consortium was established to enhance pain research and promote collaboration among researchers across the Institutes, Centers, and Offices that have programs and activities addressing pain. These activities include research on sensory and basic mechanisms, as well as the emotional and biobehavioral aspects of pain. Age, sex, hormones, gender, ethnicity, and genetics all play a role in pain response and perception.

The Pain Consortium is developing a comprehensive research agenda for the NIH and identifying key opportunities in pain research, particularly those that provide for trans-NIH participation. Increased knowledge of basic pain mechanisms is anticipated to result in better pain management. The Consortium is co-chaired by the directors of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).

NIH Participants: NINR, NINDS, NIDCR, NCI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAMS, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDA, NIGMS, NIMH, CC, FIC, NCCAM, NCRR, OBSSR, ODP/ORD, and OER/OTT.

NIH Public Trust Initiative (PTI)

The mission of the NIH Public Trust Initiative (PTI) is to promote public understanding and confidence in the research that NIH conducts and supports across the country and throughout the world. Specifically, the Public Trust Initiative seeks to provide the public with information about how the NIH conducts and supports research, opportunities to participate in priority setting and other NIH activities, opportunities to participate in clinical research, and access to and understanding of research results. This initiative is co-chaired by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

NIH Participants: NINR, NICHD, NCI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIAMS, NIBIB, NIDA, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS, NCRR, OBSSR, OER/OTT, ODP/ORD, and ORWH

NIH Stem Cell Task Force

The mission of the NIH Stem Cell Task Force is to enable and accelerate the pace of stem cell research by identifying rate limiting resources and developing initiatives to overcome these barriers to progress. The Task Force is composed of a trans-NIH group of scientists and led by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders (NIDCD).

NIH Participants: NINDS, NIDCD, NCI, NHLBI, NICHD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIGMS, NCRR, OER/OTT, and OSP

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Coordinating Committee

The purpose of the PD Coordinating Committee is to promote an exchange of information between program staff of multiple NIH ICs and other Federal agencies engaged in PD research. Representatives report on planned workshops, planned and ongoing program solicitations, and program portfolio priorities that are relevant to PD. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) leads the PD Committee.

NIH Participants: NINDS, NIA, NIDCD, NINR, NIMH, NIDA, NIEHS, NIGMS, NCCAM, and NCRR

Synchrotron Program Officers Group (SPOG)

The SPOG meets approximately twice a year to discuss and/or plan for the following: the needs of the biomedical research community for synchrotron radiation; the balance among the nation’s synchrotron radiation beamlines for the various structural biology techniques; the newest technologies; and cooperative (trans-NIH and interagency) funding. The SPOG is led by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

NIH Participants: NCRR, NCI, NIGMS, and NIBIB; other participating agencies are NSF and DOE

Systems Biology Scientific Interest Group (SysBioSIG)

The SysBioSIG was created in 2003 to enhance the awareness of and encourage the development of systems biology within both the intramural and extramural NIH communities. SysBioSIG also aims to build multi-disciplinary research teams by fostering high-risk systems analysis in biomedical research. It also strives to enhance the education and training of quantitative biologists needed to develop systems biology as a robust approach for integrating biological data, analysis, and modeling. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) lead this group.

NIH Participants: NIEHS, NHLBI, NCI, NEI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIAMS, NIBIB, NIDA, NICHD, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS, NLM, CC, CIT, CSR, NCRR, and ORS

Trans-NIH Communications Group on Genetics and Common Disease

The Trans-NIH Communications Group on Genetics and Common Disease aims to develop and implement a cohesive communications plan to inform and educate both the public and health professionals about the genetics of common disease and traits. The Group’s plan will include developing information regarding how to understand the implications of data generated by genome-wide association studies, how to interpret such data, and how to use it in personalized health care. Importantly, the plan also addresses the limitations of this sort of data and how to be an informed consumer and user of genomic information. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) leads this group.

NIH Participants: NHGRI, NCI, NHLBI, NIAID, NIDA, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIEHS, NIMH, NINDS, NLM, OCPL, OIR, and OSP; other participating agencies include CDC and HHS

Trans-NIH American Indian and Alaska Native Health Communications and Information Work Group

Since 2005, the Trans-NIH American Indian and Alaska Native Health Communications and Information Work Group has provided a forum for health education and communications staff from across NIH. The Work Group focuses on sharing strategies and learning effective approaches to developing and disseminating health information about American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The Work Group’s goal is to further educate NIH health communication professionals and share information on socio-cultural issues and other issues that may influence the development and dissemination of effective health communication efforts.

NIH Participants: NIAMS, NCI, NEI, NHGRI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAMS, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIGMS, NLM, NCRR, OCPL, ORWH

Trans-NIH Sickle Cell Group

The Trans-NIH Sickle Cell Group was established to accelerate research on Sickle Cell disease across NIH. This working group examines how new tools and techniques of genomics might be applied both to understand more fully the biology of sickle cell disease and to develop more effective therapeutic and preventive strategies for the disease. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) lead this group.

NIH Participants: NHGRI, NHLBI, NIDDK, ODP/ORD, FIC and FNIH

Trans-NIH Nanotechnology Task Force

Nanotechnology involves the creation and use of materials and devices at the level of molecules and atoms. Research began with applications outside of medicine based on discoveries in physics and chemistry. At the nanoscale, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ from the properties of matter either at smaller scales, such as atoms, or at larger scales, such as millimeters or inches that we use in everyday life. By understanding the physical and chemical properties of molecules inside living tissues, nanotechnology has the potential to change the very foundations of disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

The Trans-NIH Nanotechnology Task Force is co-chaired by representatives from multiple institutes and centers. The Task Force is charged with developing an NIH-wide scientific and policy vision for nanotechnology including a trans-NIH plan to determine the fundamental interactions of engineered nanomaterials with biological systems. This collaborative effort also entails exploring the physicochemical principles that may maximize biocompatibility and biomedical application of nanotechnology.

NIH Participants: NCI, NHGRI, NEI, NHLBI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIAMS, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCD, NIDCR, NIDDK, NIEHS, NIGMS, NIMH, NINDS, NINR, NLM, FIC, NCMHD, and NCRR.

NIH Scientific Interest Groups

Trans-NIH scientific interest groups are assemblies of scientists with common research interests.

NIH Participants: all NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices

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