# Role of Gardnerella vaginalis in the Urinary Tract

> **NIH NIH K01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $111,666

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The overall goal of this proposal is to provide me with the skills and expertise necessary to launch my career in
translational medical research in the field of urologic disease, particularly bacterial infections of the urinary
tract. To achieve this goal, I will use the K01 mechanism to meet the following training objectives: Objective 1:
Generate innovative data for publication in highly regarded peer-reviewed journals. Recurrent urinary tract
infections (UTI) disproportionately affect women and are common, costly and sometimes life threatening.
Escherichia coli is the most frequent causative agent of UTI, and has been shown in mouse models to
establish antibiotic-resistant tissue reservoirs that persist long after acute infection of the bladder lumen is
resolved. Bacterial emergence from such reservoirs has long been regarded as one likely origin of recurrent
infections in humans. We have shown in a novel mouse model that Gardnerella vaginalis, a common member
of the urogenital microbiota, causes E. coli to emerge from bladder reservoirs and initiate a recurrent UTI
episode. The experiments outlined in this research plan test the hypothesis that G. vaginalis induces UTI
recurrence by damaging the bladder epithelium (Aim 1) and modulating the host inflammatory response (Aim
2). These studies will increase our understanding of the mechanisms driving UTI recurrence and have the
potential to identify G. vaginalis as a biomarker of risk in susceptible women. Objective 2: Gain expertise in
performing translational research. I will engage in training activities, including seminars and didactic
coursework offered by the NIH Clinical Center and through the Clinical Research Training Center (CRTC) of
the Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) at Washington University School of Medicine. This
instruction will teach me the language and procedures of clinical study design and execution and is essential
for me to meet my goal of leading a transdisciplinary team doing T1 clinical research. With guidance from my
co-mentors and the Research Design and Biostatistics Group of the ICTS, I will hone my skills in this area by
performing a nested case-control study that seeks to confirm the findings of our mouse model in human clinical
specimens. Objective 3: Develop my professional abilities and grow my professional network. Washington
University has a wealth of career development mechanisms offered through the Center for the Integration of
Research, Teaching, and Learning, the Offices of Postgraduate and Faculty Affairs and the CRTC. I will attend
seminars and courses on research ethics, scientific manuscript and grant writing, academic job interviewing,
laboratory finances and management. Additionally, I will attend instructive seminars at national meetings on
urology and infectious diseases, where I will present my research findings and network and build collaborative
relationships with leading researchers in the field. I have assemble...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10136580
- **Project number:** 5K01DK110225-05
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Nicole Marie Gilbert
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $111,666
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-25 → 2023-04-24

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10136580

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10136580, Role of Gardnerella vaginalis in the Urinary Tract (5K01DK110225-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10136580. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*