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 

Health and 

disease 

in diverse 

populations

Patient-centric 

approaches 

to health and 

disease

Precision medicine 

for arthritis and 

musculoskeletal 

and skin diseases 
MUSCLE BIOLOGY AND DISEASES 

RESEARCH

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

• MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT

AND REGENERATION

• MECHANISMS OF MUSCLE

FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION

• INTERVENTIONS FOR

MUSCLE HEALTH

• MUSCLE DISEASE CLINICAL

RESEARCH

PROGRAM SUMMARY

The NIAMS Muscle Biology and Diseases programs encourage 

basic, translational, and clinical research on the biology and 

disorders of skeletal muscle. Studies address questions about 

muscle developmental biology, growth, maintenance, and 

hypertrophy; physiology of muscle contraction; structural biology 

of the contractile apparatus; mechanisms of muscle diseases 

and disorders; biomarkers and outcome measures for clinical 

and preclinical studies; and natural histories of muscle conditions. 

These programs also support development and testing of 

therapies for muscle diseases and disorders, including cell and 

gene therapies, small molecule drugs and biological products, 

and exercise and other physical interventions to slow or 

prevent disease progression. Muscular dystrophies are an area 

of emphasis within the NIAMS muscle research portfolio.

• Muscle Development and Physiology Program

• Muscle Disorders and Therapies Program

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT

The Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Research Centers

NIH funds a broad portfolio of research into understanding and 

treating various forms of muscular dystrophy. One component 

is the Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Research Centers 

program, established in 2003. Fifteen years later, the NIH 

Institutes that support the Centers formed a Working Group 

of the NIAMS Advisory Council to identify best practices for 

achieving the Wellstone Centers’ goals. The report’s executive 

summary, including the working group recommendations, is 

available at https://wellstonemdcenters.nih.gov/sites/

wellstone/files/WellstoneCenterEvalRptExecSumm-508.pdf.

Action Plan for the Muscular Dystrophies

Research objectives for muscular dystrophies 

are presented in this NIAMS Strategic Plan 

where they overlap with objectives for other 

muscle diseases. A more specific and

detailed description of research objectives 

for muscular dystrophies is found in the 

Muscular Dystrophy Coordinating Committee’s 

Action Plan for the Muscular Dystrophies at 

https://www.mdcc.nih.gov/action-plan.

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