Tony Kanai, University of Pittsburgh, and Marcus Drake, University of Bristol, were awarded the ICS 2011 Seed Funding for their pilot study 'Effects of PDE5 inhibition on afferent nerves and interstitial cells in overactive bladders.' This grant was a two centre international collaboration to obtain preliminary data on the contributions of afferent nerves and interstitial cells in overactive bladder pathophysiology and the therapeutic benefits of PDE5 inhibitors. The specific objectives were:
- To measure the effects of PDE5 inhibition on afferent nerve firing versus neuropeptide release in the normal bladder and after spinal cord injury
- To measure the effects of PDE5 inhibition on spontaneous firing interstitial cells in the bladder and in cultured cells
- To measure the alterations in storage and voiding reflexes after spinal cord injury
The University of Pittsburgh group has developed new in vitro approaches for studying lower urinary tract symptoms in isolated tissues and cells, while the University of Bristol team has developed new in situ techniques for studying CNS reflexes. With these complementary methods, and the preliminary results from the ICS pilot project, Dr Kanai and Mr Drake applied for and were jointly awarded a US National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant (DK093424) for $2.8 million over 5 years to expand their studies and determine the mechanisms by which PDE5 inhibitors improve the storage and voiding reflexes of the lower urinary tract. Their NIH-funded research started at the end of last year and runs through 2019. Given the synergy of the research teams, this study is likely to substantially increase our knowledge of the role of PDE5 inhibitors in treating lower urinary tract dysfunctions.
Additional Information
2011 Seed Funding Results
University of Pittsburgh
University of Bristol
Apply for 2019 ICS Research Grant