Award
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 5F31DK139684-02
Role of hemopexin in the development of urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome
Recipient
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Award Amount
$41,696.00
Ceiling
$41,696.00
Awarded
January 30, 2026
Identifier
5F31DK139684-02
Research project funded by NIDDK to study the role of hemopexin in urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome, focusing on pain mechanisms and stress effects using mouse models and neuroimaging.
Description
This project investigates the role of hemopexin (Hpx) in pelvic and visceral pain associated with urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS). It aims to examine the relationship between chronic stress, cell-free heme concentration, and the development of pelvic/bladder hypersensitivity in Hpx depletion models. The study will also assess changes in nociceptive processing in spinal dorsal horn neurons and compare brain activity before and after stress exposure using small animal fMRI. The research seeks to identify mechanistic roles of Hpx and heme homeostasis regulation in pain, potentially revealing new therapeutic avenues.