# Targeted Nanogel based Therapies for Chronic Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2020 · $223,864

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) are among the most common bacterial infections, causing an
estimated 268,000 cases in the US alone. Bacteria such as the uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) follow a
multistep, pathogenic cycle in which intracellular bacterial communities (biofilms) are established within the
urothelium during infection. The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa also forms highly resistant
biofilms and infects chronically-catheterized patients. The inability of current prophylactic antibiotic regimens to
access the long-lived intracellular bacterial reservoirs within the urothelium renders antibiotics inefficient while
contributing to resistance. We propose a novel approach to treat rUTI in which targeted nanogels with high
loading of multiple antibiotics can be delivered transurethrally to the bladder wall. We recently published results
in which it was demonstrated that the cell penetrating peptide CGCKRK, when covalently conjugated on the
surface of a biocompatible acrylic nanogel, can efficiently bind and penetrate the denuded/injured murine
bladder wall in-vivo and successfully deliver a drug mimic within the murine urothelium. Based on the in vitro
and in vivo preliminary data gathered, we have detailed a project plan in which nanogel networks that
penetrate the urothelium to enable the sustained delivery of antibiotics to successfully treat rUTIs will be
engineered. We will expand on our preliminary methods by 1) synthesizing nanogels with enhanced capacity to
encapsulate and release therapeutically relevant doses of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and gentamicin) in
physiologically relevant timescales and tested in vitro and; 2) establish the conditions to successfully treat rUTI
in an in-vivo murine infection model. Additional potential of the targeted bladder delivery systems described in
this proposal is the ability to simultaneously deliver multiple therapeutics, such as a single antibiotic, an
antibiotic cocktail or a biofilm dispersing molecule. The development of a bladder delivery system described
here could also be used to advance treatments of other urinary bladder pathologies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10047676
- **Project number:** 1R21AI154360-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael John Schurr
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $223,864
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-08 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10047676

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10047676, Targeted Nanogel based Therapies for Chronic Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections (1R21AI154360-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10047676. Licensed CC0.

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