Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network
The Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network is designed to conduct collaborative studies for urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders by looking for clues outside the bladder and prostate.
The MAPP Research Network will include six Discovery Sites that will conduct the studies and two Core Sites that will coordinate data collection, analyze tissue samples, and provide technical support. The Discovery Sites are at: Northwestern University, Chicago; the University of California at Los Angeles; the University of Iowa, Iowa City; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the University of Washington, Seattle; and Washington University, St. Louis. The Core Sites are at the University of Colorado, Denver and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
This initiative is unique. It will conduct highly collaborative research of the most common urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes from a broadened systemic perspective. This is a major shift from earlier organ-specific research on the two most prominent urologic chronic pelvic pain disorders, interstitial cystitis (IC)/painful bladder syndrome (PBS), and chronic prostatitis (CP)/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS).
Scientists at Discovery Sites will conduct individual and collaborative multi-site research projects, supported by each Core Site. An important first step in these studies will be the careful and extensive phenotyping (clinical characterization) of the men and women participating in the studies. The Data Coordination Core (University of Pennsylvania) will provide overall administration and coordination of multi-site research studies and perform data analyses. The Tissue Analysis and Technology Core (University of Colorado) will bank, analyze, and distribute biopsy, serum and urine samples. Tissue analyses will help in the search for biomarkers, important in screening for diseases and for monitoring treatment outcomes. The Colorado Core Site also will perform genomic and proteomic tissue expression analyses which may lead to new treatment approaches and help predict which patients may respond to these treatments.
In addition to initial collaborative projects by the Network, MAPP investigators will be invited to propose ancillary research projects to further the goals of the collaborative study group. Proposals will be reviewed for scientific merit and feasibility by an external Scientific Advisory Committee.
Page last updated: August 28, 2008
