Article Commentary: Considering Sex as a Biological Variable in Biomedical Research

Abstract

Abstract In June 2015, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new policy highlighting the expectation that sex as a biological variable (SABV) be factored into research designs, analyses, and reporting of vertebrate animal and human studies. NIH-funded research grants and career-development grants are now under this new policy and the first scientific reviews are complete. Since implementation of this policy, the research community has voiced concern about exactly how to study males and females, particularly in basic research. Investigators are asking: “What does it mean to consider SABV?” This commentary serves to provide some perspective.