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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§284i Autoimmune Diseases

Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER III — NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES › Part B — General Provisions Respecting National Research Institutes › § 284i

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

NIH must expand, strengthen, and coordinate research and other work on autoimmune diseases. The NIH Director must divide any money made available for this purpose among the national research institutes that do the work. For this law, “autoimmune disease” means diseases or disorders with evidence of autoimmune causes that the Secretary says fit. The Secretary must make sure there is an Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee to link activities across the NIH and with other federal health programs. The Committee includes the directors (or their picks) of the research institutes involved and representatives from other federal health agencies, including the CDC and FDA. The Committee’s Chair is the main advisor to the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Director of NIH, and also advises the CDC Director and FDA Commissioner, reporting directly to the NIH Director. No later than 1 year after October 17, 2000, the Committee must make and regularly update a plan for research and education. The plan must cover medical, social, and rehabilitation studies (including how these diseases affect women), set priorities, include input from scientists, patients, and advocates, and address causes, population studies, better screening, clinical testing of new treatments (including biological agents), and education for doctors and the public. The NIH Director must make sure the plan is carried out.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §284i

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Expansion, intensification, and coordination of activities
(1)In general
The Director of NIH shall expand, intensify, and coordinate research and other activities of the National Institutes of Health with respect to autoimmune diseases.
(2)Allocations by Director of NIH
With respect to amounts appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Director of NIH shall allocate the amounts among the national research institutes that are carrying out paragraph (1).
(3)Definition
The term “autoimmune disease” includes, for purposes of this section such diseases or disorders with evidence of autoimmune pathogensis as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
(b)Coordinating Committee
(1)In general
The Secretary shall ensure that the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (referred to in this section as the “Coordinating Committee”) coordinates activities across the National Institutes and with other Federal health programs and activities relating to such diseases.
(2)Composition
The Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the directors or their designees of each of the national research institutes involved in research with respect to autoimmune diseases and representatives of all other Federal departments and agencies whose programs involve health functions or responsibilities relevant to such diseases, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
(3)Chair
(A)In general
With respect to autoimmune diseases, the Chair of the Committee shall serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Director of NIH, and shall provide advice to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and other relevant agencies.
(B)Director of NIH
The Chair of the Committee shall be directly responsible to the Director of NIH.
(c)Plan for NIH activities
(1)In general
Not later than 1 year after October 17, 2000, the Coordinating Committee shall develop a plan for conducting and supporting research and education on autoimmune diseases through the national research institutes and shall periodically review and revise the plan. The plan shall—
(A)provide for a broad range of research and education activities relating to biomedical, psychosocial, and rehabilitative issues, including studies of the disproportionate impact of such diseases on women;
(B)identify priorities among the programs and activities of the National Institutes of Health regarding such diseases; and
(C)reflect input from a broad range of scientists, patients, and advocacy groups.
(2)Certain elements of plan
The plan under paragraph (1) shall, with respect to autoimmune diseases, provide for the following as appropriate:
(A)Research to determine the reasons underlying the incidence and prevalence of the diseases.
(B)Basic research concerning the etiology and causes of the diseases.
(C)Epidemiological studies to address the frequency and natural history of the diseases, including any differences among the sexes and among racial and ethnic groups.
(D)The development of improved screening techniques.
(E)Clinical research for the development and evaluation of new treatments, including new biological agents.
(F)Information and education programs for health care professionals and the public.
(3)Implementation of plan
The Director of NIH shall ensure that programs and activities of the National Institutes of Health regarding autoimmune diseases are implemented in accordance with the plan under paragraph (1).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2007—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–482, § 104(b)(1)(E), struck out heading and text of subsec. (d). Text read as follows: “The Coordinating Committee under subsection (b)(1) of this section shall biennially submit to the Committee on Commerce of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate, a report that describes the research, education, and other activities on autoimmune diseases being conducted or supported through the national research institutes, and that in addition includes the following: “(1) The plan under subsection (c)(1) of this section (or revisions to the plan, as the case may be). “(2) Provisions specifying the amounts expended by the National Institutes of Health with respect to each of the autoimmune diseases included in the plan. “(3) Provisions identifying particular projects or types of projects that should in the future be considered by the national research institutes or other entities in the field of research on autoimmune diseases.” Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–482, § 103(b)(11), struck out heading and text of subsec. (e). Text read as follows: “For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2005. The authorization of appropriations established in the preceding sentence is in addition to any other authorization of appropriations that is available for conducting or supporting through the National Institutes of Health research and other activities with respect to autoimmune diseases.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2007 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 109–482 applicable only with respect to amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2007 or subsequent fiscal years, see section 109 of Pub. L. 109–482, set out as a note under section 281 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 284i

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110