The National Institutes of Health Grant mechanisms for anorectal and colonic biomedical research.

Knowledge of the anorectum in health and in disease lags substantially behind that of other regions of the digestive tract. A paucity of fundable grant applications on anorectal research is reflected in a history of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) anorectal research support being disproportionately low. This history is of particular concern recognizing the relative national significance of anorectal diseases and disorders. The National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIADDK) seeks to broaden research and research training support of: 1) anorectal diseases and disorders, 2) the basic sciences of the anorectum, and 3) the relationship of the anorectum to the more proximal gut. Applications for research and research training grants are encouraged. Potential grant applicants are encouraged to contact NIH staff for information on anorectal programs and on grant application procedures and policies.