Concept clearance is the planning process that begins approximately two years prior to any potential funding. NIAMS receives input from the National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Advisory Council (NAMSAC) regarding the merits of proposed research concepts. The concepts listed here have been presented and discussed at previous NAMSAC meetings.

See participant list See Backgrounder Summary Welcome (Bob Carter, 0:00 1) Dr. Carter provided an overview of why NIAMS was holding this meeting (see background), acknowledged key staff who were involved in its development, and urged participants to keep the discussions focused on the scientific needs and opportunities related to subset analysis in clinical studies. He asked everyone to think broadly about how the various statistical approaches could be applied to NIAMS mission areas and to share their contributions during the afternoon discussion. 1 Times are noted in approximate hours and minutes on the videocast. The link does not take

Scientists can distinguish between highly similar cell types using cutting-edge laboratory procedures. Using such techniques, IRP researchers have identified a particular variety of cell in a specific stage of its life cycle as a primary culprit behind the autoimmune disease known as lupus.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) appointed Robert A. Colbert, M.D., Ph.D., as the director of the Institute's Clinical Research Program on February 16, 2020. Colbert, who joined the NIAMS in 2008, had served as deputy clinical director since 2012 and as acting clinical director since June 2018. "What excites me about the NIAMS Clinical Research Program director position is the opportunity we have to make an impact," Colbert explained. "We have a number of research programs that are making new discoveries that reveal how diseases develop and evolve and are translating these discoveries into