The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) conducts and supports research to study the causes of allergic, immunologic, and infectious diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing, and treating these illnesses.

Following is a brief description of the major areas of investigation:

  • Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) NIAID conducts and supports research on HIV/AIDS from basic research through clinical evaluation of treatment and prevention modalities, including vaccines and topical microbicides. Since the beginning of the epidemic, NIAID’s comprehensive research program has been at the forefront in the fight against HIV/AIDS. NIAID supports a broad array of domestic and international HIV/AIDS research programs and collaborates with more than 40 countries through investigator-initiated research grants and multicenter vaccine, therapeutics, microbicide, and prevention clinical research networks. With a number of research programs and initiatives, NIAID is poised to tackle new global research challenges as well as the changing demographics of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

  • Asthma and allergic diseases NIAID supports programs to examine the causes, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of asthma and allergic diseases. Examples of such programs include the Inner-City Asthma Consortium, the Consortium of Food Allergy Research, and the Asthma and Allergic Diseases Cooperative Research Centers. NIAID runs and operates a pediatric allergy clinic at the NIH Clinical Center that serves as a focal point for translational research conducted in collaboration with NIAID intramural laboratories and clinical trials of novel therapies.

  • Biodefense To meet the challenges posed by biodefense, NIAID conducts and supports research on basic microbiology of and host response to pathogens as well as development of medical countermeasures for potential agents of bioterrorism and naturally emerging infectious diseases. These countermeasures include (1) rapid, accurate diagnostics for natural and bioengineered microbes; (2) effective antimicrobials, antitoxins, and immunotherapeutics to treat those individuals affected; and (3) prophylactic and post-exposure vaccines. NIAID also supports biodefense and emerging infectious disease research through training programs and enhancement of research infrastructure and capacity, and by providing needed research resources and reagents to the scientific community. Basic research provides the essential underpinnings for the other research areas. The program embraces the concept that bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases are related public health issues.

  • Radiation exposure In 2004, the HHS Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness charged NIH with designing and implementing a national research program for the development of medical countermeasures appropriate for civilian use that can be used against radiological and nuclear attack. As the lead institute for research on immune homeostasis and immune reconstitution, NIAID is tasked with developing a robust research program in this area. With the input of government and non-government experts, NIAID has developed the NIH Strategic Plan and Research Agenda for Medical Countermeasures against Radiological and Nuclear Threats (see: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/topics/radnuc).

  • Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases New diseases are arising worldwide, and old diseases are re-emerging, as infectious agents evolve or spread and as changes occur in ecology, socioeconomic conditions, and population patterns. NIAID conducts and supports basic research on influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus, malaria, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, and other emerging and re-emerging diseases, as well as translational research to develop new and improved diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.

  • Enteric diseases Worldwide, diarrheal diseases such as cholera and rotavirus infection are the major causes of illness and death in infants and children. In contrast, viral hepatitis in its various forms can cause severe disease in older children and adults, although it produces few symptoms among younger age groups. NIAID conducts and supports basic research on how enteric agents cause illness as well as studies aimed at developing and testing new rapid diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics for enteric infections.

  • Genetics and transplantation NIAID’s basic immunology and genetics research seeks to define the effects of gene expression on immune function and to determine the manner in which the products of gene expression control the immune response to foreign substances, such as transplanted organs and cells. NIAID supports studies to further develop methods and reagents needed for precise tissue typing to ensure that transplant recipients receive the best-matched donor organs available. Research programs in genetics and transplantation include HLA Region Genetics in Immune-Mediated Diseases, the Genomics of Transplantation, and Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation.

  • Immune-mediated diseases NIAID conducts and supports basic, pre-clinical, and clinical research on immune-mediated diseases, including asthma and allergic diseases, autoimmune disorders, primary immunodeficiency diseases, and the rejection of transplanted organs, tissues, and cells. Efforts are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of tolerance induction strategies for treating immune-mediated diseases, as well as clinical trials to assess the efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treating severe autoimmune disorders. Programs include the Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence, the Immune Tolerance Network (http://immunetolerance.org/), Autoimmune Diseases Prevention Centers, Clinical Trials in Organ Transplantation, the Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Consortium (http://www.usidnet.org/), and the Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium. NIAID chairs the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (ADCC). In the FY 1998, ADCC was established at the request of Congress to increase collaboration among the many NIH Institutes, private groups, and other federal agencies interested in these diseases and to facilitate the development of coordinated research plans. The ADCC Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan, which was mandated by the Children’s Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310), was presented to Congress in late 2002. In March 2005, the ADCC submitted Progress in Autoimmune Disease Research, its third report to Congress.

  • Malaria and other tropical diseases Each year, millions of people worldwide are disabled or killed by tropical diseases such as malaria, filariasis, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis (e.g., Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness), leprosy, and dengue. NIAID supports basic research on the microbes and parasites that cause tropical diseases, as well as the interactions of these organisms with their human hosts and with animal/invertebrate vectors involved in disease transmission. NIAID also supports translational and clinical research to develop new and improved diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and vector management strategies for tropical diseases. These efforts are conducted by U.S. and foreign investigators receiving Institute support and by NIAID intramural scientists and their collaborators around the world. In addition, the International Centers for Excellence in Research (ICER) program promotes and sustains research programs in developing countries through partnerships with local scientists. The current ICER sites are located in Mali, India, and Uganda. While the ICER program is focused on clinical research in infectious diseases such as malaria and filariasis, each center has the capability to address the research and training needs of greatest relevance to the local population. Clinical research on tropical diseases is largely dependent upon access to populations of patients, vectors, and pathogens/parasites in countries where these diseases are endemic; thus, an important complementary objective of NIAID’s program is to strengthen international research capacity through research resources and support, scientific collaborations, and research training.

  • Pathogen genomics NIH is working to sequence the entire genomes of microbial pathogens and invertebrate vectors of infectious diseases. Efforts to sequence pathogen genomes are enabling scientists to identify genes that may lead to potential new vaccine candidates and drug targets so that infectious diseases can be prevented or be accurately diagnosed and treated. Furthermore, knowing a pathogen’s genetic sequence will help researchers better understand how mechanisms of pathogenesis and pathogen mutations contribute to drug resistance. In addition to supporting sequencing projects, NIAID provides genomics, bioinformatics, and proteomics resources and tools to the scientific community.

  • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) More than 15 million Americans each year acquire infectious diseases other than AIDS through sexual contact. STIs such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus can have devastating consequences, particularly for young adults, pregnant women, and newborn babies. NIAID-supported scientists in STI Cooperative Research Centers, NIAID laboratories, and other research institutions are developing better diagnostic tests, improved treatments, and effective vaccines for STIs.

  • Vaccine development Effective vaccines have contributed enormously to improvements in public health in the United States during the last century. Research conducted and supported by NIAID has led to new or improved vaccines for a variety of serious diseases, including rabies, meningitis, whooping cough, hepatitis A and B, chickenpox, and pneumococcal pneumonia, to name a few. NIAID supports vaccine evaluation units for the clinical testing of new vaccines and vaccine technologies at a number of U.S. medical centers. Many vaccines are currently under development in NIAID labs, including vaccines to prevent AIDS, pandemic influenza, childhood respiratory diseases, dengue, and malaria.

  • Drug research and development The development of therapies to treat infectious and immunologic diseases is a key component of NIAID’s mission. In collaboration with industry, academia, non-profits, and other government agencies, NIAID has established research programs to facilitate drug development, including screening programs to identify compounds with potential for use as therapeutic agents, facilities to conduct preclinical testing of promising drugs, and clinical trial networks to evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs and therapeutic strategies in humans.

  • Antimicrobial resistance NIAID funds a diverse portfolio of grants and contracts to study antimicrobial resistance in major viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic pathogens. Projects include basic research on the disease-causing mechanisms of pathogens, host–pathogen interactions, and the molecular mechanisms responsible for drug resistance, as well as translational research to develop and evaluate new or improved products for disease diagnosis, intervention, and prevention. NIAID supports clinical trials that assess new and existing antimicrobials and new vaccines relevant to drug-resistant infections through NIAID-targeted initiatives and clinical trial networks, which include the Collaborative Antiviral Study Group, the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Groups, and the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units.

  • Minority and women’s health Some of the diseases studied by NIAID disproportionately affect women and minority populations. The Institute remains committed to the inclusion of minorities and women in every aspect of its scientific agenda, from recruitment of special populations into clinical studies to the conduct of biomedical research by minority researchers. NIAID’s Office of Special Populations and Research Training sponsors’ activities aimed at eliminating the continuing health disparities among these populations. The Office also develops innovative training initiatives to increase the number of minority scientists by supporting undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate research training in immunologic and infectious diseases. NIAID research results are disseminated to underserved minority communities through the Institute’s outreach activities, which have focused to date on AIDS, asthma, and autoimmune diseases.

Important events in NIAID history

1948:

The National Microbiological Institute was established November 1. The Rocky Mountain Laboratory and the Biologics Control Laboratory, both dating to 1902, were incorporated into the new institute, together with the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Division of Tropical Diseases of NIH.

1951:

An institute-supported grants program was initiated, and a branch was established to administer research, training, and fellowship grants. Grant applications were reviewed by the National Advisory Health Council until 1956.

1953:

The Clinical Research Branch was renamed the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation.

1955:

The National Microbiological Institute became the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on December 29. The Biologics Control Laboratory was detached from the institute and expanded to division status within NIH.

1956:

The first meeting of the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council was held March 7–8.

1957:

The Laboratory of Immunology was established in January to meet the growing need for research on the mechanisms of allergy and immunology.

The Middle America Research Unit was established in the Canal Zone jointly by NIAID and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research as a temporary field station, made permanent in 1961. Important tropical diseases studies were done there for 15 years. NIAID transferred its part of the program to the Gorgas Memorial Institute in 1972.

1959:

The Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases was established, formerly a part of the Division of Tropical Diseases.

1962:

A collaborative research program funded mainly by contracts was established within the institute to plan, coordinate, and direct nationwide projects on infectious diseases, vaccine development, transplantation immunology, research reagents, and antiviral substances.

1967:

The Laboratory of Viral Diseases was established.

1968:

With the dissolution of NIH’s Office of International Research (OIR) and creation of the Fogarty International Center on July 1, 1968, programs formerly managed by OIR were transferred to NIAID to be administered by the Geographic Medicine Branch. These included the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Program—initiated in 1965 by the U.S. President and the Japanese Prime Minister to explore the health problems of Asia—and the International Centers for Medical Research and Training, a 1960 congressional initiative to advance the status of U.S. health sciences through international research.

1971:

The first seven Allergic Disease Centers were established to translate basic concepts of the biomedical sciences into clinical investigations.

1974:

The first centers for the study of sexually transmitted diseases and of influenza were established.

1977:

The NIAID Extramural Research Program was reorganized into three areas: Microbiology and Infectious Diseases; Immunology, Allergic and Immunologic Diseases; and Extramural Activities. An intramural Laboratory of Immunogenetics was formed.

1978:

The first maximum containment facility (P4) for recombinant DNA research was opened in Frederick, Md. International program project grants and international exploratory/development research grant programs were established. Centers were created for interdisciplinary research on immunologic diseases.

1979:

The Office of Recombinant DNA Activities was transferred from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to NIAID. The International Collaboration in Infectious Diseases Research Program superseded the International Centers for Medical Research and Training established in 1960.

The Rocky Mountain Laboratory was reorganized into the Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, to deal with both host and viral mechanisms leading to slow or persistent viral infections; the Laboratory of Microbial Structure and Function, directed at bacterial diseases, particularly sexually transmitted diseases; and an Epidemiology Branch.

1980:

The Laboratory of Immunoregulation was established to provide a means for applying new knowledge in immunology to the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with immunological disorders.

1981:

The Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology was created to exploit new techniques in recombinant DNA methodology and other molecular studies to expand the institute’s interests in both bacterial and viral pathogenesis and virulence.

1984:

The Office of Tropical Medicine and International Research (OTMIR) was established to coordinate NIAID’s intramural and extramural research activities in tropical medicine and other international research. OTMIR works with other Federal agencies and international organizations active in these areas.

1985:

The Laboratory of Immunopathology was established. At Rocky Mountain Laboratories, the Epidemiology Branch was renamed the Laboratory of Pathology.

1986:

An Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Program was established in January to coordinate the institute’s extramural research efforts in HIV/AIDS.

1987:

The Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology was established.

1988:

The Immunology, Allergic and Immunologic Diseases Program was reorganized and renamed the Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation Program.

The Office of Recombinant DNA Activities transferred from NIAID to the NIH Office of the Director.

1989:

NIAID’s programs became divisions: Intramural Research; Microbiology and Infectious Diseases; Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; and Extramural Activities.

1990:

At Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a section of the Laboratory of Microbial Structure and Function became the Laboratory of Intracellular Parasites. The name of the Laboratory of Pathobiology was changed to the Laboratory of Vectors and Pathogens.

1991:

The Laboratory of Host Defenses was established.

1994:

The Laboratory of Allergic Diseases was established.

The Office of Research on Minority and Women’s Health was created.

At Rocky Mountain Laboratories, the Laboratory of Vectors and Pathogens was renamed the Microscopy Branch.

1999:

The Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center was launched—a research program jointly funded by NIAID, NCI, and the NIH Office of AIDS Research.

2000:

The Children’s Health Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-310) codified the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee in law. ADCC is chaired by NIAID.

2001:

Malaria Vaccine Development Unit was dedicated.

2002:

Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases was reorganized; Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research was established.

The Office of Biodefense Research Affairs was established within the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) to coordinate the planning, implementation, and evaluation of DMID-wide biodefense research.

NIAID awarded its first Partnership grants to support collaboration between private industry, academia, and government to accomplish critical infectious disease and biodefense research goals.

2003:

NIAID established an intellectual and physical infrastructure for biodefense research through awards to support National and Regional Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs and RBLs) and Regional Centers of Excellence (RCEs) for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases.

2004:

The Laboratory of Molecular Immunology was established.

2005:

The Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens was established.

The Laboratory of Bacterial Diseases was established.

NIAID made its first awards using authorities granted under Project Bioshield legislation to support development of new therapeutics and vaccines against some of the most deadly agents of bioterrorism including anthrax, botulinum toxin, Ebola virus, pneumonic plague, smallpox, and tularemia.

2006:

The Division of Clinical Research was established.

The Laboratory of Virology was established.

The C. W. Bill Young Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (Building 33) was launched to carry out NIAID’s mission in emerging infectious disease research, including the development of medical countermeasures for biodefense.