# Small molecule enhancers of detrusor contraction discovered using a functional cell contractility screen as therapeutic candidates for underactive bladder

> **NIH NIH R43** · FORCYTE BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC. · 2021 · $352,511

## Abstract

Underactive bladder (UAB) / detrusor underactivity (DU), is a chronic disorder arising from
impaired contractile function of the bladder in its strength and/or duration, causing prolonged
bladder voiding or inability to achieve complete voiding of the bladder at normal time scales.
Without treatment, increased urinary retention and back-up will lead to severe and irreversible
bladder damage and chronic kidney disease. No available oral medication used in the UAB is
completely effective and catherization is often the standard recommendation for managing
urinary retention resulting from UAB, even in pediatric patients with idiopathic UAB. This
requires the patient either to carry an indwelling catheter and external collection device or more
commonly, to self-catheterize four and six times daily, a involving manually guiding a catheter
through one’s urethra to the bladder. Forcyte performed the first ever high-throughput screen
on bladder cell contractility of 11500 small molecules, identifying two promising hit clusters. With
the goal of evaluating the potential of these hits to launch underactive bladder therapeutic
development programs, Aim 1 will determine SAR through experimental and in silico means, Aim
2 will focus on hit expansion using virtual means to generate more shots on goal, and aim 3 will
establish the ADMET properties of potent molecules to guide nomination of 3-5 leads to advance
to lead-optimization research in Phase 2.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10326193
- **Project number:** 1R43DK129187-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** FORCYTE BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Ivan Pushkarsky
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $352,511
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10326193

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10326193, Small molecule enhancers of detrusor contraction discovered using a functional cell contractility screen as therapeutic candidates for underactive bladder (1R43DK129187-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10326193. Licensed CC0.

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