OADR Report FY 2023–2024
Summary of the FY23-24 Report of the Office of Autoimmune Disease Research in the Office of Research on Women’s Health (OADR-ORWH)
The newly established Office of Autoimmune Disease Research (OADR-ORWH) within the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) is tasked with enhancing coordination and innovation in autoimmune disease research across the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
OADR-ORWH was formed following a 2022 consensus report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), which highlighted the lack of a unified strategic plan for autoimmune disease research at NIH. Congress responded by directing NIH to create OADR-ORWH under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, with a mission to coordinate research efforts across NIH’s Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs).
Key Congressional Directives & Achievements
The office was established with six primary directives to strengthen autoimmune disease research:
1. Developing a Multi-Institute and Center Strategic Plan
- OADR-ORWH led the development of an NIH-wide strategic plan for autoimmune disease research, bringing together 22 ICO representatives.
- In December 2023, they issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather input from researchers, advocacy groups, and the public.
- The strategic plan is expected to be finalized by late FY25, guiding future NIH priorities in autoimmune disease research.
2. Identifying Emerging Areas of Innovation
- OADR-ORWH launched initiatives to engage the autoimmune disease research community, including:
- ScienceTALKS Series: Covering key research topics, such as the role of X chromosome inactivation in female-dominated autoimmune diseases and viral triggers of autoimmunity.
- “Updates on OADR-ORWH” Sessions: Quarterly virtual events to inform the public about research advancements.
- 8th Annual Vivian W. Pinn Symposium: Focused on innovation in autoimmune disease research and patient-centered care.
3. Coordinating Collaborative Research Across ICOs
- NIH-funded autoimmune disease research spans 140+ diseases across multiple organ systems, necessitating interdisciplinary collaboration.
- OADR-ORWH co-funded 92 research projects across 15 ICOs, including:
- The EXACT-PLAN Initiative: Established interdisciplinary research networks for exposome research, which examines environmental triggers of autoimmune diseases.
- The Accelerating Medicines Partnership® (AMP® AIM) Program: Focused on identifying novel drug targets for autoimmune diseases.
- New Collaborations with the Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence (ACE): Expanded research into endocrine-specific autoimmune conditions.
4. Evaluating the Autoimmune Research Portfolio
- OADR-ORWH analyzed NIH’s autoimmune disease funding to identify gaps and future research needs.
- Their analysis included diseases ranging from systemic conditions (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis) to more specialized disorders (autoimmune inner ear disease, myasthenia gravis, PANDAS, etc.).
- Findings will inform the NIH-wide strategic plan and future funding priorities.
5. Providing Resources for Collaboration & Innovation
- OADR-ORWH funded initiatives to enhance research infrastructure, including:
- The NEXUS Coordinating Center: Aims to integrate exposomics (study of environmental exposures) across autoimmune disease research.
- Editorial Publications in Scientific Journals: Highlighting the role of exposome research in autoimmune diseases.
- The EXACT-PLAN Summit: Convened experts to discuss integrating environmental factors into autoimmune disease studies.
6. Creating a Central Repository for Autoimmune Disease Research
- OADR-ORWH partnered with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to pilot a federated data platform for autoimmune disease research.
- This approach allows researchers to analyze data without centralizing it, maintaining privacy and security while improving access to autoimmune disease datasets.
- A Common Data Elements (CDE) initiative was launched to standardize data collection across NIH-funded autoimmune disease studies.