NIAMS National Institute of Arthritis and

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

About Our Strategic Plan

NIAMS MISSION

The NIAMS mission is to support research into 

the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis

and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; training 

of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this 

research; and dissemination of information on 

research progress in these diseases.

STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL

The goal of the plan is to advance and 

accelerate research into the causes, treatment,

and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal

and skin diseases. The ultimate goal of these 

efforts is to develop patient-centered, 

personalized ways to improve outcomes and 

thereby “turn discovery into health.”

CROSS-CUTTING THEMES 

AND RESEARCH AREAS

Many scientific challenges and opportunities 

within the NIAMS mission are not unique to 

any one field, disease, or scientific or clinical 

discipline. Rather, they transcend disease- and 

tissue-specific boundaries, have broad impact 

across many diseases and conditions, and can 

therefore serve as a framework to organize 

science across the assorted fields within the 

Institute’s purview. In addition to four crosscutting themes, the Institute’s research portfolio 

includes five core areas: Systemic Rheumatic 

and Autoimmune Diseases; Skin Biology and 

Diseases; Bone Biology and Diseases; 

Muscle Biology and Diseases; and Joint Biology, 

Diseases, and Orthopaedics.

NIAMS 

MISSION 

Shared mechanisms

in health and 

among diseases 

Patient-centric 

approaches 

to health and 

disease

Health and 

disease 

in diverse 

populations

Precision medicine 

for arthritis and 

musculoskeletal 

and skin diseases 
JOINT BIOLOGY, DISEASES, AND 

ORTHOPAEDICS RESEARCH

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

• JOINT BIOLOGY, STRUCTURE,

AND FUNCTION

• REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

• PRECLINICAL AND

TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

INTO JOINT REPLACEMENTS

• BIOCHEMICAL AND IMAGING

BIOMARKERS AND

COMPUTATIONAL MODELING

• CLINICAL RESEARCH

PROGRAM SUMMARY

NIAMS Joint Biology, Diseases, and Orthopaedics programs 

fund a broad spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical 

research centered on the interplay among the body’s muscles, 

bones, and connective tissues. These programs include research 

on the biology, structure, and function of joints and surrounding 

tissues and the application of this knowledge to a variety of 

diseases and conditions. Other programs fund tissue engineering 

and regenerative medicine to facilitate repair of damage caused 

by trauma to otherwise healthy tissue; molecular biology to 

understand the mechanisms of joint tissue formation and defects 

thereof; imaging to improve diagnosis and treatment of bone 

and joint disorders; and clinical research focused on treatment 

and prevention of acute and chronic bone and joint injuries and 

orthopaedic conditions, including musculoskeletal pain. 

• Cartilage and Connective Tissue Program

• Clinical Osteoarthritis and Diagnostic Imaging Program

• Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering and Regenerative

Medicine Program

• Orthopaedic Implant Science Program

• Orthopaedic Research Program

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT

The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI)

A free online resource available to any registered researcher, 

the OAI offers comprehensive datasets and images from nearly 

5,000 participants. The data can be examined to develop 

hypotheses about possible osteoarthritis biomarkers of disease 

onset and progression, test theories, describe the natural 

history of osteoarthritis, and investigate factors that influence

disease development and severity. For more information, visit 

https://www.niams.nih.gov/grants-funding/funded-research/

osteoarthritis-initiative.

For More information

Read the full NIAMS Strategic Plan:

https://www.niams.nih.gov/about-niams/

strategic-plan-fiscal-years-2020-2024

NIAMS Website: www.niams.nih.gov 

Contact NIAMS: NIAMSinfo@mail.nih.gov