NIAID chairs the NIH Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (ADCC), which was established in 1998 at the request of Congress. The purpose of the ADCC is to facilitate coordination of research across the National Institutes of Health (NIH), federal agencies, professional societies, and patient and advocacy organizations with an interest in autoimmune diseases. The ADCC meets twice yearly.
Since its inception, the ADCC has developed an initial report to Congress, a subsequent research plan, and an update to the research plan, as follows:
- The first ADCC report was published in October 2000 and highlights included emerging opportunities to improve treatment and the development of preventive approaches for autoimmune diseases.
Read the October 2000 Report of the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee.
- In December 2002, the ADCC presented its first research plan to Congress. The plan highlighted opportunities to increase understanding of autoimmune diseases at the population, individual, and molecular levels, with a focus on the underlying immune mechanisms common to many of these diseases. The first plan also provided recommendations for future research directions in the following areas:
- Epidemiology and burden of autoimmune diseases
- Etiology and pathogenesis
- Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
- Training, education, and information dissemination
- In March 2005, the ADCC submitted an updated research plan to Congress. This report summarized NIH funding for autoimmune diseases research, accomplishments, and activities, including ongoing research projects and future initiatives.
Read the March 2005 NIH Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee: Autoimmune Diseases Research Plan.
The NIH Reform Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-482) affirmed the importance of NIH and its vital role in advancing biomedical research to improve the health of the nation. The legislation established new strategies to accomplish the NIH mission in an era when the scale and complexity of health issues require constant innovation and interdisciplinary efforts. To that end, the NIH Reform Act replaced many of the disparate reports required by law from NIH Institutes and Centers with one comprehensive biennial account to Congress.
Reporting of autoimmune disease research is now included in chapter 3 of the NIH Biennial Report.
The most current report, as well as past reports, are available through the Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT).