# Highly Elastic Biomaterial Development for Urethral Application

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2023 · $170,384

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This is an initial submission of a K08 application by Dr. Renea Sturm, an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Urology
at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Candidate: Dr. Sturm’s primary training objectives in this proposal are to: 1. Fill existing knowledge gaps in
the interaction between materials science and modeling 2. Learn scientific methodologies in material fabrication
and evaluation 3. Develop study design and scientific communication skills 4. Develop management and
leadership skills for a career as an independent investigator. Dr. Sturm will accomplish these activities through
mentorship, focused coursework, and participation in select workshops/conferences. This will be supported by
her primary mentors Song Li, PhD, Chair of Bioengineering at UCLA and an expert in cellular-materials
interactions and co-mentor Nasim Annabi, PhD, an expert in modifiable elastic hydrogels. She will be further
supported by mentor Isla Garraway, MD, PhD, an independent urologic surgeon-scientist. Her external advisory
committee will include focused materials science and tissue engineering expertise through Ali Khademhosseini,
PhD with expert knowledge of tissue engineering for the lower urinary tract provided by Arun Sharma, PhD.
Research: Urethral defects requiring urethroplasty occur in children and adults secondary to congenital,
traumatic, infectious, and malignant conditions. Current tissue sources for urethral replacement are limited by
donor site morbidity and lack of optimal tissue characteristics to support lifelong voiding and penile erections. A
subsequent high risk of short- and long-term urethroplasty complications highlights the need for an improved
tissue alternative with a bioinspired design. The goal of this proposal is to establish an independent surgeon-
scientist with focused materials expertise and a track record of creating and evaluating a highly elastic,
biomimetic urethral scaffold with optimized biomechanical properties by layer to support cellularization
followed by extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. The research plan addresses key design requirements: 1)
optimized mechanical properties, 2) reproducible synthesis methods, and 3) wound healing and vascularization.
Our overall hypothesis is that a novel scaffold with the proposed combination of a hydrogel and elastin-like
peptide designed to meet targeted mechanical and structural parameters will improve suturability, early urinary
tract function, and local tissue recapitulation as compared to preputial or unseeded scaffold urethroplasties.
In Aim 1, composite electrospun scaffolds will be engineered with mechanical and structural properties that
mimic native urethral tissue. In Aim 2, an in vitro evaluation will elucidate the role of the mechanical niche in
cellular behavior and ECM deposition. In Aim 3, an ex vivo evaluation of functional and anatomic findings
following application of seeded and unseeded grafts will occur versus standard of care pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10573094
- **Project number:** 1K08DK134868-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Renea Sturm
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $170,384
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10573094

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10573094, Highly Elastic Biomaterial Development for Urethral Application (1K08DK134868-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10573094. Licensed CC0.

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