# Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium Scientific and Data Coordinating Center

> **NIH NIH U24** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2021 · $2,315,551

## Abstract

Project Summary
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) encompass a variety of bothersome storage and emptying symptoms,
including urgency and stress urinary incontinence, frequent and/or urgent urination, nocturnal enuresis (i.e.,
bed-wetting), difficulty urinating, dribbling after urination, and bladder or urethral pain before, during, or after
urination. More than 200 million people worldwide and over 15% of women aged 40 years or older suffer from
urinary incontinence. In fact, women are 2-3 times more likely to experience urinary incontinence and 4 times
more likely to experience a urinary tract infection in comparison to men. For decades LUTS research has
focused on underlying pathology, disease mechanisms, and treatment efficacy. The NIDDK took a bold step by
introducing the concept of prevention as an important priority for women's urologic research.
Through its transdisciplinary team science approach, the Prevention of Lower Urinary tract Symptoms
Research Consortium (PLUS-RC) is creating new conceptual models and paradigms, developing innovative
measures, establishing evidence, and leading and seeding research on bladder health and LUTS prevention.
As the Scientific and Data Coordinating Center (SDCC) for this unique consortium since its inception, we are
excited to further develop the evidence base to empower women and their communities to advocate for an
environment that supports healthy bladders.
During this next grant period, we plan to (1) provide leadership, management, and biostatistical support in the
design and implementation of a nationally and regionally representative prospective longitudinal cohort study to
assess the distribution of bladder health and evaluate potential risk and protective factors that influence
bladder health status; (2) provide leadership, management, and biostatistical support in the analysis of existing
studies (quantitative and qualitative) that will lead to the collaborative development of conceptual models that
guide analyses within the observational study above, and new studies that support future primary or secondary
prevention initiatives; (3) provide leadership in the principles and process devoted to item development,
instrument development, and psychometric evaluation and scoring; (4) facilitate a network of community
stakeholders to assist and collaborate in the process of data collection development, execution, and
dissemination; (5) foster transdisciplinary team science across all consortium activities and centers; and (6)
provide administrative leadership and logistical support and coordination of meetings of the Steering
Committee, all subcommittees, the Executive Committee, the External Expert Panel, and the pilot and
feasibility studies program, for the efficient and ethical execution of consortium objectives.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10249329
- **Project number:** 5U24DK106786-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** BERNARD L HARLOW
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $2,315,551
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-07-15 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10249329

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10249329, Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium Scientific and Data Coordinating Center (5U24DK106786-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10249329. Licensed CC0.

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