U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

National Institute of General Medical Sciences

INVESTING IN DISCOVERY

AN OVERVIEW OF THE

National Institute of

General Medical Sciences
“e most important advances in medicine

during the 20th century ... have one thing in common:

ey were all discoveries made in the pursuit

of knowledge for its own sake.”

—NOBEL LAUREATE ROGER KORNBERG
The Dance of Life

RIGHT NOW, BILLIONS OF MOLECULES are coiling, oozing or vibrating

throughout your body, all part of the carefully choreographed dance of life.

Understanding those molecules, along with the cells and systems in which they

function, is the mission of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

(NIGMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health.

NIGMS uses the vast majority of its $2.4 billion annual budget to support the

research of thousands of scientists across the country who seek to understand

the basics of how life works.

Knowledge gained from these investigations lays the foundation for new ways

to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat disease.

The NIGMS investment also benefits local economies, fuels biotechnology and

other industries, and helps the U.S. maintain its global competitiveness.

The Institute funds a broad spectrum of research, handled administratively

by the divisions described in this brochure.

More information about NIGMS research funding opportunities is available at

http://www.nigms.nih.gov/research.
The Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics

supports studies of the structure and function

of cells and the molecules within them. Such

investigations help scientists understand

cellular activity in health and disease.

This division focuses on questions like:

n How do cells move, divide, communicate

and sense changes in their environment?

n How are cell membranes made and

maintained?

n How do viruses infect cells, develop and

replicate inside them, and exit to infect

other cells?

n What kinds of tools can researchers

develop to visualize individual molecules

and analyze biological processes in

living cells?

n How can scientists use their knowledge

of protein structures to develop drugs

for diseases like AIDS?

The division is also responsible for directing

the Protein Structure Initiative, which

examines the shapes that proteins and

other molecules take in order to function.

More information about this division is

available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/

about/overview/cbb.htm.

The Division of Biomedical Technology,

Bioinformatics, and Computational

Biology supports the discovery, development and use of new biomedical research

and computing technologies, especially

those relevant to the study of complex

biological systems.

This division focuses on questions like:

n How do cells, human populations and

other complicated biological systems

behave under a variety of different

conditions?

n What tools do researchers need in

order to organize, share or visualize

biological data?

n How can scientists adapt techniques

and approaches from computational

science, mathematics and engineering

to accurately simulate, model and

understand life processes?

n What improvements in technology

could help reveal the inner workings

of healthy and diseased cells, tissues

and organs?

The division also supports the Models

of Infectious Disease Agent Study, which

develops computational models to study

how emerging infectious diseases might

spread and be contained.

More information about this division is

available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/

about/overview/bbcb .
The Division of Genetics and

Developmental Biology supports research

on the structure of genetic material, including

how that material functions, governs development, underlies inherited traits, influences

behavior and affects susceptibility to

diseases.

This division focuses on questions like:

n How do cells, including various kinds

of stem cells, become specialized?

n How do genes control the life and death

of cells and the daily (circadian) rhythms

of organisms?

n How do organisms use proteins and

small RNA molecules to regulate the

activity of genes?

n What can we learn about human

development, health and disease by

studying organisms like bacteria, yeast

and fruit flies?

n How and why has the genetic material of

human populations changed over time?

The division also supports the Human

Genetic Cell Repository, which houses a

collection of carefully maintained human

cell lines for use in biomedical research.

More information about this division is

available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/

about/overview/gdb.htm.

The Division of Pharmacology, Physiology,

and Biological Chemistry supports studies

in pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry

and chemistry that deepen understanding

of biology. This includes research on trauma,

burn injury, sepsis, wound healing and the

effects of drugs and anesthesia on the body.

This division focuses on questions like:

n What physiological changes occur

immediately and over time when a

person is critically ill or injured?

n How do enzymes generate energy

and facilitate myriad other chemical

reactions in our bodies?

n How do carbohydrate molecules

influence the action of cells?

n How can scientists harness molecules

from nature to use as drugs?

n How are medicines processed inside

the body?

The division is also responsible for directing

the Pharmacogenomics Research Network,

a nationwide collaboration of scientists

studying how genes affect the way different

people respond to medicines.

More information about this division is

available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/

about/overview/ppbc.htm.
The Division of Training, Workforce

Development, and Diversity supports

programs that train tomorrow’s scientists

and develop a strong and diverse biomedical

and behavioral research workforce. It funds:

n Undergraduate student training and

development.

n Post-baccalaureate research education.

n Predoctoral research training.

n Postdoctoral research training,

development and transition to

independence.

n Clinician-scientist research training

and career development.

n Faculty research development.

n Workforce development research.

n Capacity-building research and resources

in states that have historically not received

significant levels of NIH research funding.

Through these efforts, NIGMS helps assure

the continued vitality and productivity of the

research enterprise.

More information about this division is

available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/

about/overview/twd.htm.

Strengthening public understanding and

appreciation of science is a key NIGMS

goal. As part of its efforts, the Institute

publishes science education materials

in several formats online.

These free resources include:

n Award-winning publications on topics

like cell biology, genetics, chemistry,

pharmacology, computational biology

and structural biology.

n Findings, a twice-yearly magazine that

showcases vibrant and diverse scientists

who do cutting-edge research and lead

interesting lives.

n Interactive games and crossword

puzzles that teach science.

n Scientific image galleries containing

downloadable photos, illustrations

and videos.

n A monthly electronic newsletter that

highlights recent scientific advances.

n Articles and fact sheets on areas of

science within the NIGMS mission.

Browse, download and use these free

resources at http://publications.nigms.

nih.gov/epublications.htm
Supporting high-quality research is a defining

characteristic of NIGMS. Many of the Institute’s

grantees earn prestigious awards, including the

Nobel Prize, the highest honor bestowed in

science. Over its 50 years, NIGMS has funded

the Nobel Prize-winning work of 74 scientists.

Among their discoveries:

n Translating the genetic code and explaining

how it functions.

n Defining the internal organization of cells

using electron microscopy and other

techniques.

n Finding that RNA can act as a catalyst,

controlling and directing cellular functions.

n Discovering restriction enzymes, which

cut DNA at precise locations and are a

cornerstone of the biotechnology industry.

n Identifying proteins that trigger a cell’s

response to outside signals and are involved

in normal activities as well as diseases like

cancer, cholera and diabetes.

A complete list of NIGMS-funded Nobelists is at

http://www.nigms.nih.gov/GMNobelists.htm.

This microscopic swimmer

called Tetrahymena helped

Carol Greider and others

examine chromosome tips

(telomeres). Their work

was honored with the

2009 Nobel Prize in

physiology or medicine.

Greider is pictured at top

with fellow Johns Hopkins

University scientist —and

Nobel laureate—Peter Agre.
Discrimination Prohibited

Under provisions of applicable public laws

enacted by Congress since 1964, no person

in the United States shall, on the grounds

of race, color, national origin, handicap, or

age, be excluded from participation in, be

denied the benefits of, or be subjected to

discrimination under any program or activity

(or, on the basis of sex, with respect to any

education program or activity) receiving

Federal financial assistance. In addition,

Executive Order 11141 prohibits discrimination on the basis of age by contractors

and subcontractors in the performance

of Federal contracts, and Executive Order

11246 states that no federally funded

contractor may discriminate against any

employee or applicant for employment

because of race, color, religion, sex, or

national origin. Therefore, the programs

of the National Institute of General Medical

Sciences must be operated in compliance

with these laws and Executive Orders.

Accessibility

This publication can be made available in

formats that are more accessible to people

with disabilities. To request this material

in a different format, contact the NIGMS

Office of Communications and Public

Liaison at 301-496-7301; send e-mail to

info@nigms.nih.gov; or write to the office

at the following address: 45 Center Drive

MSC 6200, Bethesda, MD 20892-6200.

If you have questions or comments about

this publication, you can use the same

contact information to reach the writer,

Alisa Zapp Machalek.

Web Links

Investing in Discovery and information

about the images in it are available online

at http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/

NIGMSbrochure.

View and download other NIGMS publications at http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/

epublications.htm.

NIH Publication No. 12–7611

Revised May 2012

http://www.nigms.nih.gov

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