The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of NIAID is to conduct basic and clinical research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infections, immunologic disorders, and allergies.
NIAID supports a comprehensive approach to addressing these complex health challenges by supporting basic research at institutions across the country; conducting and supporting clinical trials in patients; developing new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other technologies; as well as training the next generation of scientists. NIAID also supports international activities that address global health threats such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, emerging infectious diseases such as avian influenza and SARS, pandemic flu preparedness planning in low-resource countries through our Fogarty International Center partnership programs.
With approximately 1,200 employees located primarily in Bethesda Maryland , just outside Washington DC , NIAID had a budget authority in Fiscal Year 2019 of $4.9 billion to support its mission . This includes $2.9 billion for extramural research grants awarded by NIH peer review panels to more than 3100 investigators at universities , medical schools , hospitals , laboratories throughout the United States
“and around the world.” The majority
“of this funding was directed towards basic science studies aimed at improving our understanding of biological processes involved in infection or immunity .” About one-fifth
“of NIAID’s budget went towards development
“of new vaccines ,” therapeutics ,”
“and diagnostics .” In addition , intramural researchers located primarily on the NIH campus conducted cutting edge research programs totaling $1.9 billion in FY2019 . These include studies on AIDS vaccine development ; pathogenesis “of Lyme disease ; mechanisms” “of viral entry into cells ; structure-function relationships” “in proteins important for innate immunity ; mechanisms” “by which bacteria evade detection” “by the immune system ; development” “and function” “of regulatory T cells ; mechanisms underlying autoimmunity ; allergy pathogenesis ; systems biology approaches to studying host -pathogen interactions during infectious diseases.”