NATIONAL INSTITUTE

OF DIABETES AND 

DIGESTIVE AND 

KIDNEY DISEASES 

Introduction to NIDDK Research 

Established in 1950, NIDDK supports and conducts 

research on some of the most chronic, common, 

and costly conditions, including diabetes and other 

endocrine and metabolic diseases, liver and other 

digestive diseases, obesity, kidney diseases, urologic 

diseases, and hematologic (blood) diseases. The 

Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases 

program; the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition program; 

the Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases 

program; and the NIDDK Intramural Research Program 

support basic, clinical, and translational research across

the United States. NIDDK also supports research 

training and career development, as well as outreach 

efforts to patients, healthcare providers, and the public.

Pathways to Health for All: 

Health Disparities & Health Equity Research 

Recommendations & Opportunities

Released in May 2023, a new report from the Health 

Disparities and Health Equity Research Working Group 

of the NIDDK Advisory Council makes innovative 

recommendations to advance NIDDK’s health equity 

and health disparities research programs. It also 

includes guiding principles for embedding equity into 

research and tips for researchers, at NIDDK and 

externally, who plan to engage in robust health equity 

research. 

niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/strategic-plans-reports/

Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P.

Dr. Rodgers has been Director of 

NIDDK since 2007 and served 

as Deputy Director since 2001. As a 

leading hematology investigator, he 

is widely recognized for his 

contributions to the development of the

first effective —and FDA-approved—

therapy for sickle cell anemia. 

Recent NIDDK Research Highlights

• Decades of NIDDK-supported research led to FDA approval 

of the first drug that delays clinical type 1 diabetes onset in 

individuals at high risk for developing the disease and the 

first cellular therapy for some adults with type 1 diabetes. 

• NIDDK foundational research made possible the first FDAapproved oral medication for type 2 diabetes in children 10 

years and older, expanding treatment options for pediatric 

type 2 diabetes. 

• The Kidney Precision Medicine Project created a new 

“kidney atlas” that compares healthy versus injured human 

kidney tissue, laying a critical foundation for discovering 

new treatments. 

• A recent clinical trial demonstrated that a diet rich in fiber 

and low in processed foods may have benefits for human 

health by nurturing the gut microbiome. 

• Scientists uncovered biological links between psychological 

stress and inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups.

FY 2023 Funding Support Funding History*

 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 CR

FY 2025 President’s Budget 

Request (in millions): $2,310

*excludes mandatory T1D funding 

niddk.nih.gov 
Selected Current Activities

• NIDDK is supporting a national network of research institutions

and community-based organizations to strengthen the 

engagement of communities and individuals from diverse 

backgrounds and enhance equity in type 2 diabetes research. 

• A new consortium is characterizing a large cohort of youth at 

risk for type 2 diabetes through puberty to identify factors that 

contribute to youth-onset type 2 diabetes.

• The System Interventions to Achieve Early and Equitable 

Transplants Study (STEPS) is identifying people in need of a 

kidney transplant and determining whether outreach strategies 

focused on equity and patient needs can improve access to 

living donor kidney transplants. 

• A multi-center study of people who developed diabetes after 

COVID-19 infection is investigating the clinical course and 

physiological processes underlying post-COVID-19 diabetes.

• A consortium for Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes and Pancreatic

Cancer (CPDPC) is conducting a comprehensive study of 

individuals with chronic pancreatitis to gain insights that could 

pave the way for developing new treatments for the disease. 

NIDDK Recent Advances and

Emerging Opportunities 

NIDDK Recent Advances and Emerging 

Opportunities is an annual compendium that 

highlights recent advances from NIDDKsupported studies, along with personal stories 

of people who have given time and effort to 

participate in NIDDK-sponsored clinical research.

niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/strategic-plans-reports

Selected Future Research Initiatives

• NIDDK will support further research on reducing disparities and achieving health equity in diseases within the NIDDK 

mission that disproportionately affect underserved populations.

• A new randomized controlled trial will evaluate novel gluten detection technologies to improve celiac disease 

management in newly diagnosed adults. 

• The Gut-Brain Communication in Parkinson’s Disease Consortium (GBPDC) will accelerate research on the role of 

gastrointestinal symptoms and gut-brain communication in Parkinson’s disease to help develop novel diagnostic tools 

and biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease. 

• A new consortium will develop community-engaged interventions that dismantle the effects of structural racism to 

reduce health disparities among people living with kidney disease. 

• A Working Group of NIDDK’s Advisory Council on diabetes heterogeneity will identify research gaps and inform 

future opportunities, and a multi-disciplinary consortium will aim to discover new, more precise measures to classify 

subtypes of type 2 diabetes. 

NIDDK at a Glance

2023 Research Project 

Grants*

Funded Principal 

Investigators: 929 

Competing Applications

Awarded: 706 

*excludes mandatory T1D funding 

Number of 

Full Time 

Employees: 

670 

4-year average,

FY 2020-2023

2023 Paylines and Early Stage

 Investigators (ESIs*)

 R01 Payline: 16% 

ESI Payline: 25% 

ESI Renewal Payline: 19% 

 Number of ESIs: 90 

*excludes new investigators who are not ESIs 

 

Selected Recent Accomplishments

• Recent clinical trials testing artificial pancreas technologies for 

type 1 diabetes management led to the FDA approval of a new 

bionic pancreas device in people ages 6 and older and showed 

that another device (Control IQ) was effective in children between 

ages 2 and 5. 

• Using a 3D model of the kidney, researchers discovered that sugar 

can promote cyst growth in polycystic kidney disease (PKD), 

pointing to sugar uptake inhibitors as a potential treatment. 

• Studies in people who do shift work and in mice showed that 

time-restricted eating can lead to health benefits, improving our 

understanding of how meal timing can affect metabolic health. 

• New findings provided insights into different types of overactive 

bladder urinary symptoms, which may help identify more targeted 

treatment approaches. 

• Researchers found that an FDA mandate limiting the 

acetaminophen levels in combination acetaminophen-opioid pain 

relievers was associated with a decreased incidence of liver failure 

and hospitalization due to these medications. 

niddk.nih.gov