# Nonhuman Primate Model of Bladder Regeneration Using Autologous Bone Marrow Cells

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $670,488

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Patients with a pathologic bladder have chronic medical problems with urinary incontinence, infections, and
potential renal failure. Conventional surgical management of the pathologic bladder uses detubularized bowel
as a patch (enterocystoplasty) to enlarge the bladder. Although enterocystoplasty provides functional
improvement, it is associated with significant short- and long-term complications. Thus, alternative methods to
enterocystoplasty have been explored through tissue engineering by seeding cultured bladder cells on
bioscaffolds as an augmentation patch. With these techniques, marginal success has been noted but
regeneration of fully functional normal bladder tissue has yet to be achieved. Several obstacles currently limit
advancement in this research field including the choice of a relevant animal model; appropriate cell types for
seeding, adequate neovascularization of the seeded graft, tissue innervation, and primitive bioscaffold design.
Thus, alternative cell sources, advancements in bioscaffold design, and applicable animal models are needed
to address these unmet clinical needs. Bone marrow stem/progenitor cells (BMSPCs) represent a highly
defined population of cells that are easily accessible and may be used for bladder regeneration. BMSPCs are
non-exclusively comprised of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells
(HSPCs). MSCs have been shown to be capable of smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation and are involved
in the bladder regenerative process, while HSPCs have demonstrated the ability to facilitate the growth of new
blood vessels in regenerating tissue while aiding in peripheral nerve and urothelium regeneration. Recent
developments in elastomer chemistry and scaffold design have allowed for the development of synthetic
scaffolds that have controlled kinetic release of growth factors that are important for the regenerative process
and that can mimic the mechanical properties of the bladder. Lastly, we have established a unique animal
model of bladder augmentation in a nonhuman primate. This model is highly homologous to its human
counterparts with regards to anatomy and physiology. This proposal will utilize these recent advancements in
stem cell biology and elastomer chemistry along with our newly established bladder model to determine
whether the use of autologous MSCs and HSPCs in conjunction with novel elastomer scaffolds can enhance
current tissue engineering techniques to promote bladder regeneration. These include muscle and peripheral
nerve regeneration, angiogenesis, and rapid urothelium growth. Preliminary data strongly suggests that these
two cell types can accomplish these goals as demonstrated in vivo.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9898353
- **Project number:** 5R01DK109539-04
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Arun Sharma
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $670,488
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-15 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9898353

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9898353, Nonhuman Primate Model of Bladder Regeneration Using Autologous Bone Marrow Cells (5R01DK109539-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9898353. Licensed CC0.

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