NIH unveils FY2016-2020 Strategic Plan

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today released the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2016-2020: Turning Discovery Into Health, which will ensure the agency remains well-positioned to capitalize on new opportunities for scientific exploration and address new challenges for human health. Developed after hearing from hundreds of stakeholders and scientific advisers, and in collaboration with leadership and staff of NIH's Institutes, Centers and Offices (ICO), the plan is designed to complement ICOs' individual strategic plans, which are aligned with their congressionally mandated missions. Read more

Video now available

A Quarter Century after the Human Genome Project's Launch:
Lessons Beyond the Base Pairs

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Human Genome Project (HGP), the NHGRI History of Genomics Program began the first in a series of seminars - A Quarter Century after the Human Genome Project's Launch: Lessons Beyond the Base Pairs on December 3rd. The program featured some of the first Human Genome Project participants, who shared their unique perspectives about the HGP and how the experience affected their careers.
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T-cell transcription factor may offer new pathway for vaccine research

The gold standard for a successful vaccine is the creation of long-lasting antibodies that will defend the body against disease for years. Now, a team headed by scientists at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has found a promising new area for vaccine developers to explore in search of that gold. The new discovery involves a protein called a transcription factor - a molecular switch that turns a gene or a cascade of genes on or off. Read more

Researchers identify gene variant involved in new inflammatory disorder

NHGRI researchers have identified a new childhood-onset disorder they've named Haploinsufficiency of A20 (HA20) that presents with general inflammation, including fevers, mouth and genital ulcers, and arthritis. The disease results from a variant of a gene that regulates how the immune system responds to inflammation, infection and trauma. Published Dec. 7 in the advance online Nature Genetics. Read more

The Genomics Landscape

NHGRI Develops Path Forward to Address Health Disparities

This month's The Genomics Landscape, highlights NHGRI's efforts in addressing health disparities. Other important topics include the future of NHGRI's Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) program, for which we recently issued a Request for Information (RFI). Comments for this are due by December 7. Other items: information on new staff, retiring staff and a career achievement award. Read more