NIAID supports basic, preclinical, and clinical research on autoimmune diseases. Basic research helps inform new experimental methods of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, which are then evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies.
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Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence (ACEs)
The ACEs conduct collaborative basic and clinical research on autoimmune diseases. Close interaction between clinicians and basic researchers aids the identification of immune-based strategies to treat or prevent disease and helps accelerate the translation of scientific advances to the clinic.
The ACEs conduct clinical trials of interventions against lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, scleroderma, pemphigus, and type 1 diabetes.
Currently, nine centers are funded under the ACEs program, which is co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health.
Learn more by visiting the ACEs website.
FAQ: Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence (ACE) Webinar
Cooperative Study Group for Autoimmune Disease Prevention (CSGADP)
The CSGADP is a collaborative network of investigators who focus on halting the development of autoimmune diseases at early disease stage by means other than global immunosuppression.
The CSGADP aims to
- Create improved models of disease and therapy to better understand the immune response
- Develop novel prevention strategies
- Use disease models to test new tools prior to their use in human studies
- Encourage core expertise and collaborative projects designed to rapidly translate experimental therapies and preventions from animal to human studies
- Develop surrogate markers for disease progression and/or regulation that can be used in clinical trials
In 2010, CSGADP supported 21 pilot projects to test approaches that may lead to the development of novel targets for disease prevention or assays for biological markers of disease progression. CSGADP will be renewed in fiscal year 2012.
CSGADP is co-funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.
Read more about CSGADP.
Immune Tolerance Network (ITN)
The ITN is an international consortium of over 80 investigators in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia dedicated to the clinical evaluation of novel, tolerance-inducing therapies for autoimmune diseases; asthma and allergic diseases; and rejection of transplanted organs, tissues, and cells. The goal of these therapies is to “reeducate” the immune system to eliminate injurious immune responses and graft rejection while preserving protective immunity against infectious agents. The ITN has established state-of-the art core laboratory facilities to conduct integrated mechanistic studies and to develop and evaluate markers and assays to measure the induction, maintenance, and loss of tolerance in humans.
The ITN is supported by NIAID, NIDDK, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. Learn more about the Immune Tolerance Network.
HLA Region Genetics in Immune-Mediated Diseases Consortium
This purpose of this program is to understand how the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene region and killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene family are associated with immune-mediated diseases.
HLA and KIR genes differ widely from person to person and among ethnic groups. Investigators have observed associations between the presence or absence of certain HLA genes and a person’s susceptibility to certain autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The goal of the consortium is to support collaborative research focusing on the role of the HLA region and KIR genes in disease susceptibility and progression.
This program is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Ancillary Studies in Immunomodulation Clinical Trials
This program gives investigators the opportunity to study human samples taken during clinical trials to answer the following questions:
- How does the immune system behave in response to new therapy?
- How does disease progress?
- Are there any reliable biological markers (biomarkers) that can help predict if a disease is getting worse or better? Can these biomarkers be used to help predict if a new treatment is working?
- How does the human immune system work?
The program is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIDDK, and NINDS.
Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium (CITC)
The purpose of this consortium is to explore the potential of transplanting islets, insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.
CITC is a network of nine U.S. clinical centers and a data and statistical coordinating center that share clinical and islet manufacturing protocols, data, and results with the broad scientific community. Research pursued through this consortium is expected to make significant improvements in the field of islet transplantation.
CITC investigators are conducting seven clinical trials to improve the safety and long-term success of islet transplantation.
The consortium is co-sponsored by NIDDK. Learn more by visiting the CITC website.
Multiple Autoimmune Diseases Genetics Consortium (MADGC)
MADGC is a collaborative effort of leading genetic researchers who aim to identify and understand the genes involved in autoimmune diseases. MADGC maintains a registry and repository of genetic and clinical data and specimens collected from families in which two or more individuals are affected by two or more distinct autoimmune diseases; for comparison purposes, samples also have been collected from healthy volunteers. In addition to ongoing studies, this resource will be used for future evaluation of genetic risk factors for autoimmune diseases, as well as the identification of gene-environment interactions that are involved in these disorders.
Learn more by visiting the MADGC website.
Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation Research (CIBMTR) Database
The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) database contains data on outcomes of hematopoietic (blood and bone marrow) cell transplant (HCT) procedures. Currently, the database includes information on more than 300,000 HCT recipients from 500 U.S. transplant centers. The CIBMTR collaborates with government agencies, professional groups, international partners, and patient organizations via 17 active scientific/research working committees. This collaboration ensures that high-quality data are available to an international community of investigators, physicians, and patients to advance understanding and improve success of HCT.
The CIBMTR database is co-funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute. Learn more by visiting the CIBMTR website.
Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort)
The ImmPort system serves as a long-term, sustainable archive of data generated by investigators funded by NIAID. The core component of the ImmPort system is an extensive data warehouse containing experimental data supplied by investigators, as well as genomic, proteomic, and other data collected from a variety of public databases. The ImmPort system also provides data analysis tools.
The primary NIAID-funded research programs currently supported by the ImmPort system include the following:
- Population Genetics Analysis Program
- HLA Region Genetics in Immune-mediated Diseases
- Immune Function and Biodefense in Children, Elderly, and Immunocompromised Populations
- Modeling Immunity for Biodefense
Learn more by visiting the ImmPort website.
Human Immunology Project Consortium (HIPC)
The Human Immunology Project Consortium (HIPC) is capitalizing on recent advances in immune profiling methods to create a novel public resource that characterizes diverse states of the human immune system that occur following infection, prior to and following vaccination against an infectious disease, and prior to and following treatment with an immune adjuvant that targets a known innate immune receptor(s).
The state of the immune system in autoimmune patients, contrasting periods of flare and remission, and their response to vaccines are a special emphasis within the consortium. Two HIPC projects are focused on autoimmune disease.
- Investigation of the effects of IL-12/IL-23 blockade on response to vaccination in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis
- Deep sequence analysis of B-cell responses to vaccines in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who have high and low interferon α signatures and in patients with juvenile diabetes.
Learn more by visiting the HIPC website.