Revolutionizing Science

Research Approaches

NIH revolutionizes science through wide-reaching influence on approaches to the way research is conducted.

Clinical Trials

In 1953, NIH implemented a formal policy to protect the health of human subjects participating in NIH clinical trials, pioneering such safeguards in clinical research. This was subsequently emulated by research organizations worldwide in the form of institutional review boards and research ethics committees.

Image credit: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH

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  • NIH human subject protections are consistently updated, improving the trust of research participants and leading to many approved therapies, such as vaccines and cancer treatments.
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High-risk, High-reward

NIH supports research that is high-risk, high-reward, meaning that it is highly innovative and has potential to lead to scientific breakthroughs, but may struggle to get funded through more traditional avenues. High-risk, high-reward research led to the development of imaging approaches, treatment technologies, and scientific techniques that have revolutionized science.

Image credit: Office of Intramural Training & Education, NIH

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  • Optogenetics is a new imaging technology, developed due to NIH’s investment in high-risk, high-reward research, that has revolutionized neuroscience by enabling scientists to use light to control the activity of brain cells. 
  • The NIH Common Fund High-Risk, High-Reward Program has supported research on how gene editing can treat genetic disorders, such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
  • NIH-supported researchers developed a new technology leading to the discovery of 25 new antibiotics, at least one able to treat difficult to treat infections.
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COVID-19 Animal Models

After the discovery of the virus that causes COVID-19, NIH quickly worked to identify and develop new animal models to study infection and disease progression. For example, genetic engineering techniques were used to develop animal models that mimic how COVID-19 behaves in people.

Image credit: Conny V / iStock / Getty Images Plus

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  • NIH provided animal models and resources to accelerate pre-clinical testing of vaccines and therapeutic agents for COVID-19.
  • As new infectious diseases are discovered, especially during pandemics, it is critical to quickly understand disease processes and the mechanisms by which infections are established for the development of vaccines and therapeutics as well as to test these approaches.
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Framingham Heart Study

Designed to understand heart health and disease, the NIH-funded Framingham Heart Study has also advanced our understanding of many other conditions and disorders, including obesity, diabetes, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer.

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  • Launched in 1948 in Framingham, Massachusetts, this study aimed to unravel causes of heart disease by following a group of individuals over time. 
  • The tools and methodologies developed by Framingham scientists are commonly applied to understand chronic disease today.
  • As of 2020, more than 4,000 articles based on Framingham research have been published. While many are focused on cardiovascular disease, Framingham also informed our understanding of many other diseases and conditions including genetic patterns and inheritance of common diseases.
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Framingham Methods

The NIH-supported Framingham Heart Study has had a wide ranging and enduring impact on how research is conducted, from data sharing to epidemiologic tools and methodologies.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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  • The success of Framingham made it a model for later prospective cohort studies. 
  • Epidemiologic tools and methodologies first developed by Framingham scientists, such as the statistical methods to estimate the risk of someone developing a disease, are now commonly applied to understand chronic disease. 
  • This study also set a new standard for widely sharing research data, allowing many researchers to investigate factors not addressed in the original study.
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References

Clinical Trials

  1. Timeline of Laws Related to the Protection of Human Subjects: https://history.nih.gov/display/history/Human+Subjects+Timeline
  2. Research Involving Human Subjects at the Clinical Center: Structure and Process. 1993. https://history.nih.gov/download/attachments/1016866/M93-1.pdf

High-risk, High-reward

  1. NIH High-risk, High Reward Research: https://commonfund.nih.gov/highrisk
  2. Joshi J, et al. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020;7:466. PMID: 32064254.
  3. NIH Director's Transformative Research Awards: Funded Research: https://commonfund.nih.gov/TRA/fundedresearch

COVID-19 Animal Models

  1. Animal Models and Resources for Coronavirus Research: https://orip.nih.gov/animal-models-and-resources-coronavirus-research
  2. NIH ACTIV Animal Models Overview: https://opendata.ncats.nih.gov/covid19/animal
  3. National Primate Research Centers COVID-19 Related News: https://nprc.org/news/?search=covid&gosearchnews.x=0&gosearchnews.y=0&topic=0&center=0&source=0&date=0
  4. MMRRC Mouse Models for COVID-19 Research: https://www.mmrrc.org/catalog/covid_models.php
  5. NIH ACTIV Preclinical Working Group: https://www.nih.gov/research-training/medical-research-initiatives/activ/preclinical-working-group
  6. First and Second Commentaries on Nonhuman Primate Models for SARS-CoV-2 Research: https://orip.nih.gov/about-orip/research-highlights/nonhuman-primate-models-sars-cov-2-research
  7. Third and Fourth Commentaries on SARS-CoV-2 Research Using Nonhuman Primate Models: https://orip.nih.gov/about-orip/research-highlights/orip-publishes-third-and-fourth-commentaries-nature-lab-animal-series-sars-cov-2-research-using
  8. NIH-supported animal resources in the development of diagnostics, prevention and treatments for human patients with COVID-19: https://nprc.org/research/nprcs-continue-fight-against-covid-19/

Framingham Heart Study

  1. Impact of the Framingham Heart Study: https://www.nih.gov/sites/default/files/about-nih/impact/framingham-heart-study.pdf
  2. Framingham Heart Study Publications: https://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/fhs-bibliography/index.php

Framingham Methods

  1. Impact of the Framingham Heart Study: https://www.nih.gov/sites/default/files/about-nih/impact/framingham-heart-study.pdf
  2. Framingham Heart Study Publications: https://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/fhs-bibliography/index.php

This page last reviewed on March 1, 2023