Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of (NIDDK): One of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., the NIDDK has a multisystem name and a comparably broad mission, namely, to "conduct and support basic and applied research and provide leadership for a national program in diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Several of these diseases are among the leading causes of disability and death; all seriously affect the quality of life of those who have them."