Personalized treatments for bladder pain (interstitial cystitis)
Mechanistic-Based Treatment of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome
A treatment approach aiming at the underlying causes of bladder pain for people with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11319012 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), researchers will first group people by how and where they feel pain — some have pain mainly in the pelvis while others have widespread pain with sleep and mood problems. They will combine clinical questions, physical exams, and biological or neurobiological markers to understand those different patient groups. Treatments will be matched to these groups so the team can see whether targeting the likely cause reduces pain and other symptoms. The work is designed to move care away from trial-and-error and toward more personalized treatment plans.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, including people with pelvic-predominant pain or more widespread/centralized pain symptoms, would be the main candidates.
Not a fit: People without IC/BPS or whose urinary symptoms are explained by a different diagnosed condition are unlikely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to clearer, more effective, and personalized treatments that reduce pain and cut down on costly trial-and-error care.
How similar studies have performed: Researchers have identified distinct IC/BPS pain subgroups before, which makes this targeted approach promising, but mechanism-based personalized treatments for IC/BPS are not yet widely proven.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, United States
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mckernan, Lindsey Colman — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Mckernan, Lindsey Colman
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.