Regeneration, Repair and Remodeling of the Lower Urinary Tract
Biography
Overview
This competing renewal is a Scientific Research Project submitted in response to RFA-DK-13-019, and seeks to continue funding of our Planning Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology (IR-BU) focused on Regeneration, repair and remodeling of the lower urinary tract. This application specifically targets the estimated 35 million Americans that suffer from bladder disease, most of which are chronic conditions (i.e., infections, congenital disorders, and inflammation) or aging related that ultimately compromise cellular and tissue integrity leading to reduced bladder function, as well as a diminished quality of life. This proposal to continue our Center in Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology (IR-BU) is based on the premise that novel strategies for repair and regeneration of the bladder would have numerous clinical applications to lessen the existing disease burden. As noted herein, this continuation proposal builds logically on prior work and success of the current IR-BU Planning Center. The Specific Aims for our Overall IR-BU Planning Center are: Aim #1: To advance scientific research in interdisciplinary benign urology. Specifically, to begin to identify, validate, and make available to the urologic research community the cutting-edge tools and relevant preclinical animal models required for interdisciplinary investigations into regeneration, repair and remodeling of the lower urinary tract. Aim #2: To increase institutional, national and international awareness of, and involvement in, our IR-BU Center concept and our translational research programs. Aim #3: To build the interdisciplinary core faculty expertise and collaborative infrastructure required for expansion of the extramural funding of benign urology research at Wake Forest, including the eventual establishment of a George M. O'Brien Urology Research Center. The overarching long-term goal of our renewal application is to begin to identify novel molecular and cellular targets in the murine model with potential therapeutic applications for regeneration and repair of the human bladder.
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