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Research Plan on Autoimmune Diseases
Format: Report
Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID)
NIAID has released a comprehensive research plan to fight
autoimmune diseases, a collection of disorders including
multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis that affect
an estimated 14 to 22 million Americans. The plan will foster
research to identify genetic, environmental and infectious
causes of autoimmune diseases and to develop new treatments
and prevention strategies.
The Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan provides specific
recommendations on future research directions and demonstrates
the commitment of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services to continue a robust program of autoimmune disease
research. The plan also calls for educating the medical
community and the public about autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune diseases result when the immune system attacks
the body's own organs, tissues, and cells. Physicians and
scientists have identified more than 80 different autoimmune
diseases. Some are well known, such as rheumatoid arthritis,
multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and systemic lupus;
others are less familiar, such as autoimmune hepatitis,
Sjögren's syndrome and pemphigus.
The plan was created at the request of Congress as part
of the Children's Health Act of 2000, and it was prepared
by the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee, a
body of government and outside experts under the direction
of NIAID. This committee, established in 1998, facilitates
collaboration among the NIH institutes, other federal agencies
such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
the Food and Drug Administration, and private organizations.
In developing the plan, the committee analyzed the existing
NIH research program and sought the advice of non-federal
scientists.
Next steps:
Print copies of the plan can be ordered by writing to the
NIAID Office of Communications and Public Liaison at the
following address: 31 Center Drive MSC 2520, Bethesda, Md.
20892-2520. The plan can also be found on the NIAID web
site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dait/pdf/ADCC_Report.pdf.
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