# Transition from Acute to Chronic Pelvic Pain in a Murine Model of Chronic Prostatitis

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $109,024

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract:
 The mentee of the application, Dr. Kenny Roman, is a Kirschstein-NRSA postdoctoral fellow in the
Department of Urology at Northwestern University. During the award period, Dr. Roman will be provided with
laboratory space, animal housing facilities, core labs, equipment, networking opportunities, and crucial
mentorship from accomplished faculty to successfully complete the proposed project. Also, the Department of
Urology is committed and invested in the future career of Dr. Roman and has offered him a full-time research-
track faculty position. Dr. Roman's long term career goals are to 1) to increase his productivity and quality of
published basic research, 2) obtain a tenured-track faculty position, and 3) generate significant preliminary data
to apply for a competitive RO1 grant. To achieve these goals, Dr. Roman has proposed a career development
plan that's designed to provide a balance of mentorship and freedom to help him achieve research independence
and self-efficacy. Specifically, the career development plan includes courses to strengthen his knowledge in the
field of neuroscience, teach mentorship, and promote his grantsmanship skills. Dr. Roman's mentor (Dr. Praveen
Thumbikat) and co-mentors (Dr. Kevin E. McKenna and Dr. Anthony J. Schaeffer) are highly committed to his
success and strongly believe in Dr. Roman's potential to establish an independent research program, attain the
expertise to obtain R01 funds, and manage a successful academic career.
 The proposed project will establish a link between activation of the mTOR pathway and changes to
neurobiological and neuroinflammatory systems in relevant cortices during the transition from acute to chronic
pelvic pain in an autoimmune mouse model of CP/CPPS called experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP).
Recent studies published by the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) research
network showed that the insular cortex is impaired in patients with CP/CPPS. Moreover, preliminary data from
the mentee's laboratory suggests the phosphorylation of S6K, a downstream mTOR pathway signaling kinase,
is elevated in the prelimbic cortex (interconnected to the insula) of mice with EAP. However, the intracellular
signaling mechanisms and cell types that influence changes in specific cortices during the transition from acute
to chronic pelvic pain have not been fully explored. Therefore, the long term goal of this project is to identify the
mTOR pathway as a signaling mechanism that mediates the transition from acute to chronic pelvic in brain
cortices due to neuro-glia interactions in mice with EAP. Overall, the mentee seeks to 1) determine the transition
from acute to chronic pelvic pain in mice with EAP, 2) establish the role of the mTOR pathway in driving the
transition from acute to chronic pelvic pain in insular and prelimbic cortices, and 3) explore the contribution of
neuroinflammation during the transition from acute to chronic pelv...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440303
- **Project number:** 5K01DK114395-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Kenny M Roman
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $109,024
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-11 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440303

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440303, Transition from Acute to Chronic Pelvic Pain in a Murine Model of Chronic Prostatitis (5K01DK114395-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440303. Licensed CC0.

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