Research at NHGRI

NHGRI Affiliated Centers

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), in collaboration with other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is closely associated with several major centers involved in genome research. These affiliated centers are:

Center for Inherited Disease Research [cidr.jhmi.edu]

CIDR logo The Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) is a centralized facility that provides genotyping, sequencing and statistical genetics services for qualifying National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded projects. These services are available to extramural and intramural scientists supported by the institutes participating in the CIDR program. CIDR's main focus is high-throughput projects relating to human disease. However, some smaller projects and projects involving model organisms can also be accommodated.

Currently, 14 NIH institutes participate: The National Cancer Institute (NCI); the National Eye Institute (NEI); the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI); the National Institute on Aging (NIA); the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA); the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS); the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD); the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR); the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Access to CIDR is granted via a peer review process (NIH program announcement: PAR 11-210).

The facility is supported through a five-year, $115 million federal contract (number N01-HG-72096) to The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) with Dr. David Valle of the JHU Institute of Genetic Medicine as Principal Investigator. Dr. Lawrence C. Brody of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) serves as CIDR's Chief Scientific Officer. Ms. Gloria Dunnigan, NHGRI, serves as the government Project Officer. Dr. Camilla Day, NHGRI, serves as Scientific Review Officer and Executive Director of the CIDR Board of Governors.

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Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health [crggh.nih.gov]

CRGGH logo The Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health (CRGGH) aims to facilitate a global understanding of the relationship between human genetic variation and population differences in disease distribution, with the ultimate goal of informing health inequalities. Investigators in the CRGGH will develop genetic epidemiology models that will explore the patterns and determinants of common complex diseases in populations in the United States and other human populations around the world. The establishment of the CRGGH, a trans-National Institutes of Health (NIH) effort, brings about an opportunity for it to be a leader in public awareness regarding how genomics is informing health and human history.

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National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences [ncats.nih.gov]

Photo of a chip that mimics marrow, tumor and liverThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed establishing a new center, called the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Currently, many costly, time-consuming bottlenecks exist in the translational pipeline. Working in partnership with the public and private sectors, the proposed Center would develop innovative ways to reduce, remove, or bypass these bottlenecks. This would speed the delivery of new drugs, diagnostics, and medical devices to patients.

NCATS would be formed primarily by uniting and realigning existing NIH programs that play key roles in translational science. The proposed Center would not be a drug development company, but would focus on using science to create powerful new tools and technologies that can be adopted widely by translational researchers in all sectors.

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National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Sequencing Center [nisc.nih.gov]

NISC logoThe NIH Intramural Sequencing Center (NISC), established in 1997, is a multi-disciplinary genomics facility that emphasizes the generation and analysis of DNA sequence. In addition to providing investigators at the NIH access to large-scale DNA sequencing, NISC plays a major role in several efforts related to the Human Genome Project. These include a Comparative Vertebrate Sequencing Initiative, the ENCODE Project, and the Mammalian Gene Collection Program.

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Last Updated: May 15, 2012