

However all NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support basic research relevant to the diseases, organ systems, stages of life or populations within their mission area.Ī few examples of work at NIH ICs include: The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the NIH, funds much of the nation’s basic biomedical research. Funding for basic science research accounts for approximately 51% of the NIH budget.Ī recent analysis of NIH funding showed that NIH contributed to published research associated with every one of the 210 new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 2010 to 2016 90% of that research was basic, looking at the biological targets for drug action rather than the drugs themselves. NIH’s Funding of Basic ResearchĪ large part of NIH’s mission and role in the biomedical enterprise is to support basic biomedical research. The return on investment from basic research over the long term is significant most of the gains in reducing human suffering from illness and disease and extending life expectancy over the past century could not have happened without basic research.

Research into specific disease targets, called translational or applied research, depends on a broad and diverse scientific research portfolio to create the foundation that makes further scientific discovery possible.
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The fundamental knowledge gained through basic science often leads to unanticipated breakthroughs in how to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat disease. The line between discovery and medical application can be long and hard to trace. It can be difficult to predict how a basic research study will lead to human health benefits. The knowledge gained from this work serves as the foundation for biomedical advances that help protect and improve human health.

For example, they may examine how cells talk to each other, how proteins fold or how gene activity is controlled. Through basic research, scientists try to answer fundamental questions about how life works. Basic Research Overview NIH’s Funding of Basic Research Basic Research and Breakthroughs Images Additional Resources Overviewīasic science research helps us understand the principles, mechanisms and processes that underlie living organisms.
