The NIAMS Update is produced and distributed by the NIAMS Science Communications and Outreach Branch. It is an online resource for the NIAMS Coalition, Council, and Colleagues.
SPOTLIGHT
Deputy Director’s Letter: Piecing Together the Autoimmune Disease Puzzle

In her December 2021 letter, NIAMS Director Lindsey Criswell, M.D., M.P.H., D.Sc., discussed the launch of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases (AMP® AIM) program. This new initiative builds upon the progress of the prior AMP RA/SLE project, which greatly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms that drive disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
NEWS
Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Funding Plan
NIAMS is operating under the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The interim funding plan for research and training grants represents the most current information as of the date cited on this web page; however, many factors occurring throughout the fiscal year can affect the operating policies; thus, they are subject to change. For clarification, it is always best to check with an appropriate Institute official.
COVID-19 Updates
Get the latest public health information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the latest funding opportunities and research news from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additional news and resources include:
- How COVID-19 Immunity Holds Up Over Time (NIH Director’s Blog)
- People From Racial, Ethnic, and Other Groups Report Frequent COVID-19–Related Discrimination (NIH)
- Mandatory Masking in Schools Reduced COVID-19 Cases During Delta Surge (NIH)
- NIH Launches Trial to Study Allergic Reactions to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (NIH)
NIH Director’s Blog: Unraveling the Role of the Skin Microbiome in Health and Disease

As guest author, NIAMS Director Dr. Lindsey Criswell highlights the research of Heidi Kong, M.D., M.H.Sc., Head of the NIAMS Intramural Research Program’s (IRP) Cutaneous Microbiome and Inflammation Section of the Dermatology Branch, and Richard Gallo, M.D., a NIAMS grantee. Their research is rapidly advancing our understanding of the role of the skin microbiome―and suggesting potential therapeutic opportunities.
A New View of How Muscles Move

Brian Glancy, Ph.D., is an Earl Stadtman Investigator with a dual appointment between NIAMS and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at NIH. While examining mouse muscle using high-powered microscopes, he discovered “branching” in the structure and function of myofibrils, the parts of skeletal muscle cells that are key to muscle contraction. His groundbreaking discoveries are expected to change how textbooks depict myofibril structure and function.
New Web Application to Study Cellular Responses to Glucocorticoids

A new web tool that will allow scientists to study how different human cell types will respond to glucocorticoids (a powerful class of steroid drugs) was developed by Luis Franco, M.D.’s Functional Immunogenomics Lab in NIAMS IRP and by scientists with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
What Our Proteins Can Tell Us About Autoimmune Diseases

Adeline Chin, a postbaccalaureate research fellow in the Juvenile Myositis Pathogenesis and Therapeutics Unit in NIAMS IRP, describes the team’s research progress in understanding juvenile dermatomyositis and identifying better and safer treatments with fewer side effects.
How Skin Cells Help Fight Acne

NIAMS-supported investigators found that a type of skin cell called a dermal fibroblast can make an antimicrobial compound in response to infection by acne-causing bacteria. The results suggest approaches that could lead to better treatment options for acne.
FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Continues to Make Rare Diseases a Priority With Drug Approvals and Programming to Speed Therapeutic Development
This article outlines activities of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) CDER with respect to supporting rare disease drug development.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Limited Competition: Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity at Minority Serving Institutions (U01 Clinical Trial Optional) (Reissue of RFA-RM-21-022)
Application due date: May 23, 2022
Immune Drivers of Autoimmune Disease (IDAD) (U01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-AI-22-012)
Application due date: July 1, 2022
Notice of Special Interest: Promoting Research on COVID-19 and Rheumatic, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases (NOT-AR-22-012)
Multiple due dates through January 7, 2023
Notice of NIAMS’ Participation in PA-18-935 “Urgent Competitive Revision to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Urgent Supplement ‒ Clinical Trial Optional)” (NOT-AR-21-028)
Expiration date: October 25, 2022
Limited Competition: Promoting a Basic Understanding of Chemical Threats to Skin (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAS-21-245)
Next application due date: June 16, 2022
NIH HEAL Initiative®: Planning Studies for Initial Analgesic Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-NS-21-029)
Next application due date: June 9, 2022
Stay Updated About Funding Announcements
If you would like information about grants and funding opportunities, subscribe to funding-dedicated email newsletters, including periodic NIAMS Funding Alerts and a monthly NIAMS Funding News email, and follow our Twitter account (@NIAMSFunding) focused on funding opportunities. Also check out the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, the primary source for information about NIH funding opportunities. You can also request a weekly Table of Contents from the NIH Guide. In addition, the NIAMS website provides comprehensive information on NIAMS-related grants and processes.
RESOURCES
Spotlight on Scientific Imagery: Staphylococcus Epidermidis Bacteria

NIAID researchers discovered how a bacterium that lives on the skin, called S. epidermidis, (shown in green) helps protect the skin from water loss and damage. The research may lead to probiotic treatments to promote skin health during aging or may help treat some skin diseases. The research team is hoping next to test the approach in clinical trials in people.
Photo credit: NIAID
Updated NIAMS Resources Available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese

Living With Arthritis, Living With Back Pain (new), and Living With Lupus are now available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Designed for patients and their families, these resources all can be viewed in full color.
- Living With Arthritis: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese
- Living With Back Pain: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese
- Living With Lupus: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese
Nutritional Approaches for Musculoskeletal Pain and Inflammation

NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) provides evidence-based information on clinical guidelines, scientific literature, and information for patients for a number of supplements that people consider using for musculoskeletal pain and inflammation, including willow bark, omega-3 fatty acids, devil’s claw, ginger, thunder god vine, turmeric, and bromelain.
NIH STEM Teaching Resources
The free K‒12 STEM education materials on this site are provided by NIH Institutes and Centers and NIH grantees, including Science Education Partnership Award recipients.
EVENTS
June NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting (Virtual Meeting)
The next NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting will be held virtually on June 7, 2022. The meeting will be available for viewing via the NIH videocasting service. A video recording of the previous NIAMS Advisory Council Meeting on February 1, 2022, is available.

At the Crossroads of the Microbiome, Metabolism, & Glycoscience
April 29, 2022
9a.m. to 5p.m. ET
Location: Videocast
Registration is required.
View the agenda.
NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series
Upcoming Lecture:
May 11, 2022
3 to 4 p.m. ET
John Kuriyan, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Mechanisms of Activation of the EGF Receptor
NIH Science Lectures and Events Available via Internet
Look for past videocasts, including:
- Rare Disease Day at NIH, February 28, 2022
- Imaging Inflammation Resolution and Wound Repair
- Somatic Mutations in “Benign” Diseases/Somatic Mutations in Rheumatologic Diseases: VEXAS and Beyond (Second half of this Demystifying Medicine lecture is by Peter Grayson, M.D., M.Sc., NIAMS IRP)
For additional online science seminars and events hosted by the NIH, view the NIH VideoCast Future Events and the NIH calendar.