Introduction

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health is the largest single entity providing funding for biomedical research. ^[1] In 2006 the NIH awarded 53,285 grants totalling $21 billion dollars. ^[2] Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a bowel disorder of unknown etiology characterized by abdominal pain with diarrhea and/or constipation. An estimated 15% of the US population is estimated to exhibit symptoms of IBS, with an annual medical and indirect costs estimated to range from $20 to $30 billion dollars. ^[3]

Funding of IBS

According to the NIH's CRISP database, 1977 was the first year in which the NIH awarded a grant whose description included the phrase, "irritable bowel." ^[5] A small number of grants were awarded each year through the 1970's. The graph to the right shows the number of researchers receiving NIH grant awards for grants including the term "irritable bowel" for years 1974 to 2007. ^[6]

Recent Funding

In 2006, the NIH funded 56 projects ^[7] focusing on Irritable Bowel Syndrome, with a total disbursement of $18,787,710. ^[8]

Supporting Data

List of NIH Funded Research Projects Referring to 'Irritable Bowel' for 2006 ^[7] ^[8]
Project Number	Project Title	Dollars Awarded	Institution	State
5R24DK067674-03	Gastrointestinal Biopsychosocial Research Center	854,134	University of North Carolina	NC
3R24DK067674-03S1	Gastrointestinal Biopsychosocial Research Center	146,292	University of North Carolina	NC
1K23DK073451-01	Central and Peripheral Autonomic Responses in IBS	125,010	UCLA	CA
5K24DK002638-08	Alpha 2 Adrenergic Control in Irritable Bowel Syndrome	139,598	MAYO CLINIC	MN
1R21AT003619-01	Mindfulness for Irritable Bowel Syndrome	219,000	University of North Carolina	NC
5R01AT001414-04	Enhancing the Placebo Effect in Irritable Bowel Syndrome	642,916	Harvard	MA
5R01NR007768-05	Treatment of Fear and Pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome	299,479	BRENTWOOD	CA
5K23DK066271-03	Genetic epidemiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)	126,900	MAYO CLINIC	MN
5R21AT002564-02	Patient Variables and Placebo Responses in IBS	193,460	MASSACHESSES GENERAL HOSPIAL	MA
5R21DK069628-02	Cross-sensitization between the bladder and colon	144,131	VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY	VA
5U19AT003266-02	Functional Bowel Disorders in Chinese Medicine	1,007,873	UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND	MD
5R21DK071767-02	Regulation of spinal NK1R expression by chronic stress	153,798	BRENTWOOD	CA
5R01DK054681-07	Alpha-2 Adrenergic Control of Colonic Function in IBS	235,240	MAYO CLINIC	MN
2R01NR001094-17A2	A Nursing Study of Gut Function in Menstruating Women	522,661	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON	WA
5R03NR009410-02	Autonomic nervous system and visceral hypersensitivity	74,019	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON	WA
1K08DK071626-01A1	Effective connectivity of central response to IBS	121,538	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA	CA
5K23NS043435-05	Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Central Pain Se	164,990	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	FL
5P50DK064539-05	Women's Health and Functional Visceral Disorders Center	1,133,615	UCLA	CA
5R21DK068155-02	CRF2 Receptor Modulation of Colonic Response to Stress	184,559	UCLA	CA
5R01DK066658-04	Neurogenic Pathogenesis of Interstitial Cystitis	305,824	UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH	PA
1F31DK074378-01A1	Minority Predoctoral Fellowship Program	26,728	PONCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE	PR
5R01NR005337-05	Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children	443,225	BAYLOR COLLEGE	TX
5R01DK062768-02	Effects of Short Chain Fatty Acids on Colonic Motility	227,581	DUKE	NC
5R01NS037424-07	Neurochemical Mechanisms of Visceral Pain	344,400	UNIVERSITY OF MD	MD
5R01NS053090-02	Mechanisms of Central and Peripheral Hyperalgesia	328,562	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	FL
5R01NS044222-03	Medial Pain Inputs to Monkey Anterior Cingulate Cortex	274,593	UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY	NY
5R01DK064880-04	A Case Control Study of Interstitial Cystitis	524,437	UNIVERSITY OF MD	MD
5K08DK060468-04	GDNF in the Enteric Nervous System	130,113	OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY	OH
1R15GM073620-01A1	STRUCTURE FUNCTION STUDY OF MT3 TOXIN	185,220	UNIVERSITE CENTRAL	PR
5K24AT000057-08	Individual Differences in CAM Patient-Centered Outcomes	156,399	UNIVERSITY OF AZ	AZ
2R01AR046122-06A1	Neuroendocrine Alterations in Fibromyalgia and IBS	277,200	UCLA	CA
5F32DK071430-02	Bacterial regulation of GI tract cell proliferation	48,796	UNIVERSITY OF OREGON	OR
5R01NS050758-02	Characterization and Plasticity of Visceral Nociceptors	328,232	UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH	PA
5R03DE015814-02	Central role of JNK/Jun cascade in visceral nociception	73,726	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS	TX
5R01NS019912-25	Mechanisms and Modulation of Visceral Pain	369,355	UNIVERSITY OF PITTBURGH	PA
5P50AR049555-05	ORWH: SCOR on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women's *	1,073,218	UNIVERSITY OF MD	MD
5R01NR004142-09	Nursing Management of IBS: Improving Outcomes	595,794	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON	WA
2R01DK057038-06A2	RET Ligand Regulation of Intestinal Motility	250,100	WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY	MO
5R01DK064592-04	Neuronal control of intestinal motility in mutant mice	488,250	WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY	MO
5R01DK047700-11	Regulation of immunosuppressive molecules in IBD	213,944	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA	NC
1R01DA019824-01A1	Role of cannabinoid 2 receptors in B lymphocyte function	290,000	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA	FL
1R01NS051466-01A1	ACC Sensitization in Visceral Hypersensitive Rats	342,029	UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN	MI
2R01DK058173-06A1	Peripheral NMDA Receptors in Visceral Nociception	305,553	UCLA	CA
1R21AT003221-01A1	Physiologic Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Based IBS Subgroups	193,125	UCLA	CA
5R21DK069933-02	Oxalobacter as a therapy in IBD-associated urolithiasis	213,121	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	FL
5R01DK056762-06	Role of IL-18 in Crohn's Disease (CD)	292,921	UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA	VA
5R01MH072908-02	Stress Allostasis: CRF, Serotonin and the BNST	310,936	EMORY UNIVERSITY	GA
5R01DK041004-17	Cholecystokinin--Role in Postprandial Gastric Motility	293,069	UC/DAVIS	CA
1K23DK075621-01	The Role of Intestinal Inflammation in the Pathophysiology of IBS	157,184	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA	NC
5R01AT001424-04	BRAIN IMAGING AND PAIN: ANALYSIS OF PLACEBO ANALGESIA	308,305	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	FL
5P30DK034987-21	CENTER FOR GASTROINTESTINAL BIOLOGY AND DISEASE	998,793	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA	NC
5R01NS038767-06	Mechanism of Pain in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome	324,863	UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA	FL
5R01DK033061-22	Corticotropin-releasing Factor-action on GI Function	271,071	UCLA	LA
1R21AA016701-01	Mast cells, antidepressants and chronic fatigue syndrome	275,906	TUFFTS	MA
5R01DK038327-19	Substance P & the Regulation of Intestinal Inflammation	340,541	NEW ENGLAND MEDICAL CTR	MA
5R01DK031369-19	Psychophysiology of Irritable Bowel Synbdrome	423,409	UNIVERSITY OF NORT CAROLINA	NC
5R01DK068258-03	PURINERGIC NEUROGENIC MUCOSAL SECRETION	291,974	OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY	OH
Total		18,787,710

References

^ Medical Research Spending Doubled Over Past Decade, Neil Osterweil, MedPage Today, September 20, 2005.
^ "TAGGS FY 2006 Annual Report". Retrieved September 8, 2007.
^ {{Hulisz D. (2004). "The burden of illness of irritable bowel syndrome: current challenges and hope for the future". J Manag Care Pharm. 10 (4): 299–309. PMID 15298528. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^ "NIH CRISP Search Tool, search for phrase Irritable Bowel". Retrieved September 8, 2007.
^ "NIH CRISP Search Tool, search for phrase Irritable Bowel". Retrieved September 8, 2007.
^ "NIH CRISP Search Tool, phrase search for Irritable Bowel for individual years". Retrieved September 8, 2007.
^ ^a ^b "NIH CRISP Search Tool, phrase search for Irritable Bowel for year 2006". Retrieved September 8, 2007.
^ ^a ^b "NIH Award Database". Retrieved September 8, 2007.

[Medical_Research_Spending_Doubled_Over_Past_Decade-1] Medical Research Spending Doubled Over Past Decade, Neil Osterweil, MedPage Today, September 20, 2005.

[2] "TAGGS FY 2006 Annual Report". Retrieved September 8, 2007.

[HULISZ_2004-3] {{Hulisz D. (2004). "The burden of illness of irritable bowel syndrome: current challenges and hope for the future". J Manag Care Pharm. 10 (4): 299–309. PMID 15298528. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[4] "NIH CRISP Search Tool, search for phrase Irritable Bowel". Retrieved September 8, 2007.

[5] "NIH CRISP Search Tool, search for phrase Irritable Bowel". Retrieved September 8, 2007.

[6] "NIH CRISP Search Tool, phrase search for Irritable Bowel for individual years". Retrieved September 8, 2007.

[NAMES_2006-7] "NIH CRISP Search Tool, phrase search for Irritable Bowel for year 2006". Retrieved September 8, 2007.

[AMOUNTS_2006-8] "NIH Award Database". Retrieved September 8, 2007.

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