Michigan Interdisciplinary Center for Urology Research and Education (MI-CURE)

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ABSTRACT The Michigan Interdisciplinary Center for Urology Research and Education (MI-CURE) seeks to develop a world-class interdisciplinary research team comprised of scientists, clinicians, biostatisticians, and engineers to provide comprehensive and innovative approaches in benign urology. As such, we have brought together exceptional investigators with diverse expertise from Beaumont Hospital/ Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and Michigan State University. The overall purpose of the MI-CURE Exploratory Center is to establish strong research foundations in bladder physiology, develop an intellectual infrastructure, and expand educational and training opportunities in benign urology research. Despite decades of research, the mechanisms by which bladder fullness is sensed are still unknown. A major barrier to developing and testing novel therapies for bladder dysfunction is our lack of understanding the mechanism of how bladder fullness is sensed. Thus, the overall goal of this initial project is to understand the basis of pressure sensing and its linkage to afferent nerve activation during bladder filling, and consequently how bladder remodeling and altered bladder wall compliance during disease can impact these mechanisms. To address this significant knowledge gap, we have assembled an interdisciplinary team of experts in physiology, cell biology, fibrosis, neurourology, statistics, and clinical urology and have recruited a promising new investigator in engineering to benign genitourinary disease, Dr. Sara Roccabianca. She has unique expertise in soft tissue mechanical characterization, microstructural quantification, and mathematical modeling of soft tissues movement. In addition to the strong benign urology research program using innovative and cutting-edge approaches, MI-CURE has an exciting Educational Enrichment Program to train and mentor all levels of adult learners, from high school students to medical students, to help expand and enhance benign urology research. MI-CURE is co-directed by the established physician-scientist team of Drs. Laura Lamb and Michael Chancellor, with clear communication and coordination plans in place. Together, MI-CURE will foster successful collaborations, education initiatives, and innovative research. Funding of MI-CURE as a P20 Exploratory Center will allow us to work with the George M. O'Brien Urology Cooperative Research Centers Program and the KURe and UroEpi career development programs through joint meetings and conference calls. Our goal is to leverage our collective resources and results into well-designed, novel projects suitable for submission as future NIH Investigator-Initiated R01s. We believe that the Michigan Interdisciplinary Center for Urology Research and Education program as a whole will be greater than the sum of its parts and will contribute to developing talented researchers in benign genitourinary disorders.