NIAID

NIAID stands for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It is a component of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), a federal agency responsible for biomedical and public health research. NIAID’s mission is to understand, treat, and prevent infectious and immune-related diseases that affect people worldwide. The institute conducts its own intramural research and funds a substantial extramural portfolio, supporting basic laboratory science, translational efforts, and clinical trials.

Organization within NIAID is structured around major divisions focused on AIDS, allergy/immunology and transplantation, and microbiology and infectious diseases. These divisions oversee research across a broad spectrum of topics, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, respiratory infections, bacterial and viral pathogens, vector-borne diseases, malaria, tuberculosis, emerging infections, vaccines, antimicrobial resistance, and immune-mediated disorders. The institute also runs programs aimed at translating discoveries into diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines, and maintains global health initiatives.

Location and leadership: NIAID is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, with research facilities and offices across the United States and internationally. It is led by a director who oversees both the intramural program and the grant-funded extramural portfolio, along with supporting offices for policy, planning, and scientific integrity.

Impact and history: Since its establishment within NIH, NIAID has played a central role in addressing public health challenges, advancing vaccine development, and supporting research that underpins prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and immune-related conditions.