# Metabolomic Signatures of Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $630,836

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (UCPPS) is a debilitating condition afflicting 10 million men and
women in the U.S. UCPPS encompasses two highly prevalent chronic urologic pain disorders, interstitial
cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) in men and women, and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain
syndrome (CP/CPPS) in men. UCPPS prominently manifests as debilitating symptoms characterized by
urinary urgency, frequency, and pain. Unfortunately, the biological mechanisms contributing to UCPPS
symptoms remain unclear. This delays diagnosis and limits therapeutic development. Using a mass
spectrometry-based metabolomics approach, we recently found that elevated urinary etiocholanolone sulfate
(Etio-S) levels identify a high symptom score subgroup of female UCPPS patients. We hypothesize that
elevated Etio-S is symptomatic of a more general perturbation of related steroids. We also hypothesize that
this represents just one of multiple UCPPS subgroups arising from biochemically distinctive etiologies. In this
study, we will use state-of-the-art targeted and untargeted metabolomics approaches to discern UCPPS-
associated biochemical signatures in human specimens from the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of
Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) research network. Rigorous chemical identification will connect these results to
specific physiological processes, providing the basis for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Targeted
metabolite assays of samples from these studies will be used to identify treatment-responsive subgroups in
clinical trials, improving UCPPS patient care. An experienced interdisciplinary research team of physicians,
analytical chemists, and mathematical data scientists has been assembled to ensure the rigor and clinical
validity of this effort.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10211622
- **Project number:** 1R01DK125860-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey P Henderson
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $630,836
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-15 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10211622

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10211622, Metabolomic Signatures of Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (1R01DK125860-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10211622. Licensed CC0.

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