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National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Coordinates: 38°59′50″N 77°5′59″W / 38.99722°N 77.09972°W / 38.99722; -77.09972
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Agency overview
JurisdictionFederal Government of the United States
Agency executive
Parent departmentDepartment of Health and Human Services
Parent agencyNational Institutes of Health
Websitewww.nigms.nih.gov
Head shot of Dr. Jon Lorsch, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Jon Lorsch, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

NIGMS produces a number of free science education materials[1] on topics such as cell biology, genetics, chemistry, pharmacology, structural biology, and computational biology. The institute also produces the magazine Findings,[2] which showcases diverse scientists who do cutting-edge research and lead interesting lives.

Past directors

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Past Directors 1962–present[3]

Portrait Director Took office Left office
Clinton C. Powell July 1962 July 1964
Frederick L. Stone August 1964 April 1970
DeWitt Stetten Jr. October 1970 August 1974
Ruth L. Kirschstein September 1974 July 1993
Marvin Cassman (acting) July 1993 August 1996
Marvin Cassman August 1996 May 2002
Judith H. Greenberg (acting) May 2002 November 2003
Jeremy M. Berg November 2003 July 2011
Judith H. Greenberg (acting) July 2011 July 2013
Jon R. Lorsch August 2013 Present

Research advances

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Among the advances that scientists have made with NIGMS support are:

  • Discovering a gene-silencing process called RNA interference,[4] or RNAi, that is both a powerful research tool and a promising new approach for treating diseases.
  • Revealing how a protein's shape[5] affects its function, which plays a key role in health and disease and also informs the design of new drugs.
  • Increasing survival from burn injury,[6] in part by improving methods of wound care, nutrition and infection control.
  • Shedding light on the critical functions of carbohydrates,[7] sugar molecules found on all living cells that are vital to fertilization, inflammation, blood clotting and viral infection.
  • Modeling infectious disease outbreaks[8] and the impact of interventions through computer simulations to provide valuable information to public health policymakers.
  • Developing new methods to look inside cells[9] and other living systems. These approaches have advanced what we know about basic life processes in a range of organisms.

Notes and references

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  1. ^ "NIGMS Electronic Publications - National Institute of General Medical Sciences". Archived from the original on 2012-05-12. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  2. ^ "Findings Home - National Institute of General Medical Sciences". Archived from the original on 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  3. ^ "NIGMS Directors". www.nih.gov. 9 July 2015.
  4. ^ "RNA Interference Fact Sheet - National Institute of General Medical Sciences". www.nigms.nih.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-05-11.
  5. ^ "Structural Biology". www.nigms.nih.gov. Retrieved Sep 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "Burns". www.nigms.nih.gov. Retrieved Sep 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "Life is Sweet". Archived from the original on 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  8. ^ "Modeling Infectious Diseases Fact Sheet - National Institute of General Medical Sciences". Archived from the original on 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  9. ^ "Cellular Imaging". www.nigms.nih.gov. Retrieved Sep 22, 2020.
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38°59′50″N 77°5′59″W / 38.99722°N 77.09972°W / 38.99722; -77.09972