The UPMC Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Center

匹兹堡大学医学中心的性传播感染（STI）合作研究中心将开展研究，主要侧重于预防由性传播微生物剂引起的女性生殖道损伤。该项目汇集了多学科研究人员，在性传播感染领域具有临床和基础研究专业知识。UPMC STI CRC将开展研究，以确定“预防性传播感染引起的女性生殖道损害”的方法。它将通过一套四个相互关联和主题相关的研究项目来实现这一目标，每个项目都反映了项目负责人/首席研究员的特定研究优势。

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Collaborative Research Center will conduct research with a primary focus on prevention of female reproductive tract damage due to sexually transmitted microbial agents. This program brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers, with both clinical and basic research expertise in the field of STIs. The UPMC STI CRC will conduct research to determine methods of "prevention of female reproductive tract damage due to STIs". It will do so through a set of four interrelated and thematically linked research projects, each reflecting the particular research strengths of the Project Leaders/Principal Investigators (PI). Project 1 (Wiesenfeld, PI) will determine the importance of anti-anaerobic therapy in the treatment of women with acute PID. Project 2 (Hillier, PI) will determine the role of novel organisms in acute endometritis. Project 3 (Darville, PI) will determine the role of Toll-like receptor 2 signaling in innate and adaptive responses to Chlamydiae. Project 4 (Cherpes, PI) will determine protective T cell responses to Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Several specific areas of interest called for in the STI CRC funding opportunity announcement will be addressed by work outlined in this U19 proposal including: (1) development of treatment strategies for STIs, (2) research that provides a better understanding of vaginal ecology, including interactions between vaginal flora and STI-causing organisms, (3) research on the pathogenesis of disease caused by organisms transmitted by sexual contact and associated syndromes or conditions, and (4) research on the innate arid adaptive immune responses of the of the genital tract in relation to STIs.