UMPIRE: Keeping Kidneys Healthy for Babies with Spina Bifida
Official title: Urologic Management to Preserve Initial Renal Function Protocol for Young Children with Spina Bifida (UMPIRE) at Texas Children's Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine
Funded at Baylor College of Medicine · NIH-11616581 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A care protocol for newborns with spina bifida aims to protect kidney function by thoughtful bladder management and monitoring from birth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2019 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $41,955 |
| NIH project number | 6U01DD001263-05M006 |
| Project ID | NIH-11616581 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Newborns diagnosed with spina bifida and their families, treated at participating centers, who require or may require bladder management strategies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose spina bifida does not affect bladder function or those treated outside the study settings may not experience direct benefits.
What this research studies
This project follows newborns with spina bifida to document how bladder management strategies affect kidney health and quality of life over time. It tracks imaging, urodynamics, catheterization, and medications to understand when to start treatments and how they influence outcomes. The goal is to build evidence on the best timing and sequence of interventions to preserve kidney function and daily living for children as they grow. Parents and clinicians will gain clearer guidance on managing bladder health in this population.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to clearer, better-timed bladder management strategies that protect kidney function and improve quality of life for children with spina bifida.
How similar studies have gone: There is limited prospective, longitudinal data in this area, so findings could significantly advance current practice under a more evidence-based approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jarosz, Susan — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Jarosz, Susan
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving care and outcomes for people living with spina bifida in Wisconsin
A patient-friendly project aims to improve everyday care and health outcomes for people with spina bifida in Wisconsin.
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The National Spina Bifida Patient Registry at University of Pittsburgh
A national registry project at the University of Pittsburgh aims to collect and organize information about people with spina bifida to improve care.
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Improving Care and Outcomes for People Living with Spina Bifida
A patient-friendly project aims to improve how people with spina bifida are cared for and how well they do over time.
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Scoliosis and neurosurgical factors in myelomeningocele: a clinic registry study
This project uses registry data from Penn State’s Spina Bifida Clinic to understand how brain and spine-related issues influence when and why scoliosis surgery is needed in people with myelomeningocele.
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UMPIRE: Better Urologic Care for Babies with Spina Bifida
This grant tests how to best protect kidney function in newborns with spina bifida by comparing and refining urologic care practices across multiple hospitals.
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Spina Bifida Collaborative Care Network to Improve Outcomes
A national program is expanding coordinated care networks and a patient registry to help people with Spina Bifida get better, more consistent care.
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.