NICHD News Releases

New syndrome linked to a somatic HIF2A mutation
A team of NIH researchers, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Utah (Salt Lake City) and Tufts Medical Center (Boston), have identified a new syndrome involving two rare neuroendocrine tumors and a rare blood disease. The syndrome was observed in four female patients who had multiple paraganglioma and somatostatinoma tumors and the blood disease polycythemia.

Scientific Vision: The Next Decade
The NICHD embarked upon a collaborative process in 2011 to create a scientific Vision, identifying the most promising scientific opportunities for the Institute and its partners to pursue over the next decade. The newly published Scientific Vision statement presents the results of that process and outlines scientific goals for the coming decade.

NICHD reorganizes extramural program
​Alan Guttmacher, M.D., Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) announced a number of changes to streamline the institute’s organizational structure and accelerate the exchange of scientific ideas.

NICHD vision statement now available online
A document charting a research course for the many collaborators who share an interest in promoting the science concerning human development through the life span, child health, women's health, and rehabilitation research is now available online.

Research for a Lifetime: Commemorating the NICHD’s 50th Anniversary
On October 17, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the legislation establishing the NICHD to examine “the complex process of human development from conception to old age.” The Institute marks its golden anniversary with Research for a Lifetime, an all-day scientific colloquium to highlight the Institute’s mission, accomplishments, and future research directions.

Release of the 2011 Division of Intramural Research (DIR) Annual Report
​The NICHD's DIR recently released its annual research report, highlighting research achievements of DIR scientists during the last year.

Constantine A. Stratakis Named New NICHD Intramural Director
​​Constantine A. Stratakis, M.D., D.Sc, has been named Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Check Out the 2010 Division of Intramural Research (DIR) Annual Report
​Now available! The 2010 DIR Annual Report highlights the latest research conducted by DIR scientists at the NICHD and describes their recent research achievements.

Level of Tumor Protein Indicates Chances Cancer Will Spread
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Hong Kong have discovered that high levels of a particular protein in cancer cells are a reliable indicator that a cancer will spread.

Gene Associated with Rare Adrenal Disorder Appears To Trigger Cell Death, According to NIH Study
A gene implicated in Carney complex, a rare disorder of the adrenal glands, appears to function as a molecular switch to limit cell growth and division, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Mice lacking functional copies of the gene in the adrenal glands developed an overgrowth of adrenal tissue and were more susceptible to tumors in the gland.

New Intramural Report Available
​Does the circulatory system of a zebrafish develop in the same order as the circulatory system of a mouse or a human? How does the biology of a cell change in response to stress in the environment? How do color-vision circuits between the eye and the brain use chemicals to detect color? Why are the bones of people with Osteogenesis imperfecta so fragile? Are animals and humans “wired” to respond to an infant’s cry in the same way?

Lack of Key Enzyme Associated with Development of Rare Tumor
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that a rare tumor of the adrenal glands appears to result from a genetic deficiency of an important enzyme. The enzyme is one of a class of enzymes involved in halting a cell's response to hormones and appears to stop cells from dividing.

NIH Panel Outlines Strategies for Managing Tumors of the Adrenal Glands
A panel convened by the National Institutes of Health issued recommendations to help physicians evaluate a particular class of tumors of the adrenal glands and determine which should be removed and which should be left alone.

NIH State-of-the-Science Panel to Evaluate Treatment Strategies for Clinically Inapparent Adrenal Gland Masses
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program will hold a State-of-the-Science Conference on Management of the Clinically Inapparent Adrenal Mass (Incidentaloma) on February 4-6, 2002, in the main auditorium of the William H. Natcher Building on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

People with Common Masculinizing Disorder Also Lack Adrenaline, NICHD Study Finds
People with 21-hydroxylase deficiency-a common yet little known disorder causing early puberty and masculinizing features in both males and females-also lack sufficient quantities of the stress hormone adrenaline, according to a study by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).