The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in

tax revenue Tax revenue is the income that is collected by governments through taxation. Taxation is the primary source of government revenue. Revenue may be extracted from sources such as individuals, public enterprises, trade, royalties on natural resour ...

to advancing the understanding of the following issues: development and progression of

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

diagnosis Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engin ...

of disease, treatment of disease, disease prevention, reduction of health care disparities within the American population, and advancing the effectiveness of the US medical system. NHLBI's Director is Gary H. Gibbons (2012–present).

Operation

In 1948, the

National Heart Act National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

established the National Heart Institute and the National Advisory Heart Council. The intramural research program was established a year later in 1949. In 1969, the National Heart Institute was renamed the National Heart and Lung Institute, and the scope of the institute was expanded. In 1976, it was given its current name, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. It had been designated as the agency responsible for blood research by the National Heart, Blood Vessel, Lung, and Blood Act of 1972, after the newly created National Sickle Cell Disease Program was put under its aegis. The Institute plans, conducts, fosters, and supports an integrated and coordinated program of basic

research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

, clinical investigations and

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...

observational studies In fields such as epidemiology, social sciences, psychology and statistics, an observational study draws inferences from a sample to a population where the independent variable is not under the control of the researcher because of ethical concern ...

, and demonstration and education projects. Research is related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases, and sleep disorders. The NHLBI plans and directs research in development and evaluation of interventions and devices related to prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of patients with such diseases and disorders. It also supports research on clinical use of blood and all aspects of the management of blood resources. Research by scientific institutions and individuals is supported by research grants and contracts through the NHLBI Extramural Program, while the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research conducts state-of-the-art research on the NIH Bethesda campus in its own laboratories. For health professionals and the public, the NHLBI conducts educational activities, including development and dissemination of materials in the above areas, with an emphasis on prevention. The NHLBI supports research training and career development of new and established researchers in fundamental sciences and clinical disciplines to enable them to conduct basic and clinical research related to heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases,

sleep disorder A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of an individual's sleep patterns. Some sleep disorders are severe enough to interfere with normal physical, mental, social and emotional functioning. Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests ...

s, and blood resources through individual and institutional research training awards and career development awards. The NHLBI coordinates relevant activities in the above areas, including the related causes of stroke, with other research institutes and federal health programs. Relationships are maintained with institutions and professional associations, and with international, national, state, and local officials as well as voluntary agencies and organizations working in the above areas. The NHLBI Division of Intramural Research (DIR) in Bethesda conducts research and training in a wide variety of areas broadly related to the mission of the institute, both clinical research and basic science research. There are 60 investigators, each of whom runs their own research program. They are supported by a group of core services that implement state-of-the-art techniques available to all NHLBI investigators.

Marshall Nirenberg Marshall Warren Nirenberg (April 10, 1927 – January 15, 2010) was an American biochemist and geneticist. He shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1968 with Har Gobind Khorana and Robert W. Holley for "breaking the genetic code" ...

, Nobel laureate for his part in the discovery of the

genetic code The genetic code is the set of rules used by living cells to translate information encoded within genetic material ( DNA or RNA sequences of nucleotide triplets, or codons) into proteins. Translation is accomplished by the ribosome, which links ...

, became the head of the Section of Biochemical Genetics in 1962. The DIR also has a large training component, with opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students as well as post-doctoral training. The NHLBI sponsors

National Wear Red Day {{Unreferenced, date=February 2016 National Wear Red Day is a day in February when many people wear red to show their support for the awareness of heart disease. In the US It occurs in America on the first Friday in February each year, where p ...

and the

Heart Truth The Heart Truth is a campaign meant to raise awareness of the risk of heart disease in women. The campaign is sponsored in the United States by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, an organization of the United States Department of Heal ...

campaign, a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease.

Organization

The research arm of the institute is organized into the following divisions: * Biochemistry and Biophysics Center * Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch * Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Human Genomics Branch * Cell & Developmental Biology Center * Center for Molecular Medicine * Hematology Branch * Immunology Center * Population Sciences Branch * Sickle Cell Branch * Systems Biology Center

Notes and references

External links

*
NHLBI Homepage

NHLBI
account on

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John T. Watson Papers (1964-2003)
- National Library of Medicine finding aid for a former administrator of the NHLBI's artificial heart program {{coord, 39.00356, -77.10133, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-MD, display=title Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Medical research institutes in Maryland Organizations established in 1948 1948 establishments in Maryland

Operation

Organization

See also

Notes and references

External links