NIH distributes $10 million to boost biomedical research in sex and gender

The largest medical organisation of the world pushes the Gender Medicine agenda with a cash contribution that help researchers to bring sex/gender to focus. under the lens.

After the anticipation written for Nature in spring, last Tuesday the NIH put on the table $10 million to support research which will significantly expand our knowledge of health and disease in both women and men. The grant has been distributed to 80 scientists that will address a variety of biological problems, from strokes to migraines, under the lens of the sex and gender diversity between individuals.

“We literally know less about every aspect of female biology compared to male biology” says Dr. Janine Austin Clayton, ass. director for Women’s Health Research at NIH.

From clinical trials to cell lines, the NIH aims to promote biological discoveries via the adoption of both “XX” and “XY” in study models, and the inclusion of all the sex and gender identities in patients recruited for clinical trials.

What do we do

The Centre for Gender Medicine (CfGM) has been actively involved in the promotion and implementation of sex and gender balance in clinical and pre-clinical research: it fosters doctoral and undergraduate courses, it endorses gender-thinking scientists; and it promotes public awareness on the importance of Gender Medicine.

To help Karolinska researchers who want to become more gender aware, and increase their chance to obtain a grant, the CfGM developed a “checklist” to guide scientists to orient their research towards sex and gender exploration.