Advancing Basic and Translational Research for Genitourinary Conditions: Female Urethral Function and Failure

Event Details

Summary

Additional materials from the series are available to the public on the NIDDK-sponsored Collaborating for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology (CAIRIBU) website. These materials include recordings of each of the sessions, presentation files, and more detailed session summaries.

Meeting Objectives

Enormous knowledge gaps exist in our understanding of the function and dysfunction of the lower urinary tract. To fill these gaps, we are pioneering a virtual workshop series composed of seven weekly sessions. These sessions will convene a multiperspective brain trust, including basic, translational, and clinical researchers at all stages of their careers; health professionals; patients; and industry representatives. Our topic is Female Urethral Function and Failure. Workshop participants will share knowledge, ask questions, and engage in real-time and asynchronous discussions regarding urethral function and failure. This iterative workshop series will generate a systems model that demonstrates what is known about the urethra’s role in continence and identifies knowledge gaps that impede progress toward better treatments. The generation of a systems model incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives will facilitate development of meaningful research questions that can lead to novel, impactful grant applications with the important goal of improving women’s health.

Planning Committee

Tamara Bavendam, M.D., M.S.
Senior Scientific Officer
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Expertise: Women’s Urology

John DeLancey, M.D.
Norman F. Miller Professor of Gynecology
University of Michigan
Expertise: Identifying Pelvic Floor Structure/Function Failure Mechanisms in Women

Carlos Estrada, M.D., M.B.A.
Associate Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Vice Chair of Urology
Boston Children’s Hospital
Expertise: Neurourology, Urodynamics, Tissue Engineering

Daniel Gossett, Ph.D.
Program Director
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Expertise: Bioengineering; Technology Development

Jim Hokanson, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Duke University
Expertise: Electrical Stimulation, Neurourology, Urgency Incontinence

Indira Mysorekar, Ph.D.
James P. Crane Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pathology and Immunology; Chief, Division of Basic Research; Director, Center for Reproductive Health Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Expertise: Urothelial Cell Biology, Bladder Immunity, Urinary Tract Infections

Kris Penniston, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Expertise: Urolithiasis, Nutrition Therapy

Lynn Stothers, M.D., MHSc
Professor of Urology
The University of British Columbia
Expertise: Neurourology and Reconstruction, Spinal Cord Injury, Technology Development

Victoria Spruance, Ph.D.
Program Director
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Expertise: Neuroscience

Registration Deadline

November 16, 2020

Agenda

September 30, 2020

Session 1—The Urethra: What We Know, What We Don't Know, and Why It Matters

4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Welcome
Tamara Bavendam, M.D., M.S.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

4:05 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.

Patient Perspective
Christine Loizou

4:20 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

Overview of Female Urethra: Motivation for Series
John Delancey, M.D.
University of Michigan

4:50 p.m. – 5:05 p.m.

Making Physiology Matter
Jim Hokanson, Ph.D.
Duke University

5:05 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Discussion
Jerry Blaivas, M.D.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Margot Damaser, Ph.D.
Cleveland Clinic

Eric Jelovsek, M.D., M.S.D.S., M.M.Ed.
Duke University

October 7, 2020

Session 2—The Urethra: Current Knowledge of Urethral Function in Health and Disease

4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Introduction
Lynn Stothers, M.D., M.H.Sc.
The University of British Columbia

4:05 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Striated Muscle
James Ashton-Miller, Ph.D.
University of Michigan

4:30 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

Smooth Muscle
Gerard Sergeant, Ph.D.
Dundalk Institute of Technology

4:50 p.m. – 5:05 p.m.

Motor Testing
Anna Kirby, M.D.
University of Washington

5:05 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Discussion
Marianna Alperin, M.D., M.S.
University of California, San Diego

Tom Lue, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco

Charles Nager, M.D.
University of California, San Diego

October 14, 2020

Session 3—The Urethra: The Mucosal, Submucosal, and Sensory Aspects

4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Introduction
John Delancey, M.D.
University of Michigan

4:05 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.

Epithelium and Mucosa
James Gillespie, Ph.D.
Newcastle University

4:20 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.

Vascular
Johanna Hannan, Ph.D.
East Carolina University

4:35 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

Hormones
Hannah Ruetten, B.S. (D.V.M./Ph.D. student)
University of Wisconsin–Madison

4:50 p.m. – 5:05 p.m.

Urethral Sensory Testing
Margaret Mueller, M.D.
Northwestern University

5:05 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Discussion
Bernard Drumm, Ph.D.
Dundalk Institute of Technology

Kimberly Kenton, M.D.
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

October 21, 2020

Session 4—The Urethra: Neural Control and Integration

4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Introduction
Victoria Spruance, Ph.D.
NIDDK

4:05 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.

The Bladder Neck
Janet Keast, Ph.D.
The University of Melbourne

4:20 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

Spinal Cord and Reflexes
Claire Yang, M.D.
University of Washington

4:50 p.m. – 5:10 p.m.

Neural Testing
Martin McKeown, M.D.
The University of British Columbia

5:10 p.m. – 5:35 p.m.

Discussion
Paul Hodges, Ph.D.
The University of Queensland

Matt Fraser, Ph.D.
Duke University

October 28, 2020

Session 5—The Urethra: Technologies for Translation

4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Introduction
Kristina Penniston, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin

4:05 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.

A Urethral Atlas
Martin Cohn, Ph.D.
University of Florida

4:20 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.

Multiphysics Model of the Urethra
Ali Attari, Ph.D.
University of Michigan

4:35 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

Discussion
Sanjay Jain, M.D., Ph.D.
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Alejandro Roldán-Alzate, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin–Madison

4:50 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

M.D.-Ph.D. Collaboration Experience in Developing Noninvasive Testing
John Speich, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University

5:00 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.

Panel Discussion on Collaboration
Moderator: Carlos Estrada, M.D., M.B.A.
Boston Children’s Hospital

James Ashton-Miller, Ph.D.
University of Michigan

Margot Damaser, Ph.D.
Cleveland Clinic

Lynn Stothers, M.D., M.H.Sc.
The University of British Columbia

John Speich, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University

5:25 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Question and Answers to Panel
Moderator: Carlos Estrada, M.D., M.B.A.
Boston Children’s Hospital

November 4, 2020

Session 6—The Urethra: Lessons from Animals, Cells, and Children

4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Introduction
Jim Hokanson, Ph.D.
Duke University

4:05 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.

Animal Models of Incontinence
Margot Damaser, Ph.D.
Cleveland Clinic

4:25 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Molecular Genetic and Genomic Approaches to Decipher Neuro-Uro Interactions
Sanjay Jain, Ph.D.
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

4:45 p.m. – 5:05 p.m.

Pediatric Perspective
Stuart Bauer, M.D.
Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School

5:05 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Discussion
Dale Bjorling, D.V.M.
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Todd Purves, M.D.
Duke University

November 18, 2020

Session 7—The Urethra: Current Therapies and Future Solutions

4:00 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.

Introduction
Daniel Gossett, Ph.D.
NIDDK

4:05 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.

Electrical Stimulation
Karl Thor, Ph.D.
Dignify Therapeutics

4:20 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.

Future Therapies: Exoskeleton and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Lynn Stothers, M.D., MHSc
The University of British Columbia

4:35 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.

Tissue Regeneration/Engineering
Larissa Rodriguez, M.D.
University of Southern California

4:50 p.m. – 5:05 p.m.

Behavioral Management
Janis Miller, Ph.D.
University of Michigan

5:05 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Discussion
Tim Bruns, Ph.D.
University of Michigan

Lysanne Campeau, M.D., Ph.D.
McGill University

5:30 p.m. – 5:35 p.m.

Series Wrap Up