Contact Information

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
A1207 Scaife Hall
Department of Medicine
Pittsburgh PA 15213
Tel: (412) 383 7368
Fax: (412) 648 7197
Email: lbirder@pitt.edu

Biosketch

Dr. Birder is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine whose interests include studying the "neuronal-like" properties of urinary bladder urothelial cells. Recent studies from Dr. Birder's laboratory have revealed that the urinary bladder epithelium (urothelium) can release chemical mediators (nitric oxide, NO; ATP) that are neuroactive and that uroepithelial cells can also respond to neurotransmitters. Localization of afferent nerves next to the urothelium suggests that these cells may be targets for transmitter release from bladder nerves or that chemicals released by urothelial cells may alter afferent excitability. These findings suggest that there is a bidirectional chemical communication between the urothelium and adjacent nerves and that the urothelium may be involved in sensory transduction in the bladder. We have identified a number of abnormalities in the urothelium (increased responsiveness to chemical and mechanical stimuli) from cats diagnosed with feline interstitial cystitis (FIC), supporting a general hypothesis that alterations in bladder afferent neurons as well as in urothelial cells may be part of the etiology of FIC. Understanding the mechanisms contributing to and maintaining these types of changes may provide important insights into the development of novel targets for the clinical management of IC.

Selected References

Birder LA, Kanai AJ, de Groat WC, Kiss S, Nealen M.L., Burke N.E., Dineley K.E., Watkins S, Reynolds I.J., and Caterina M.J. Functional vanilloid receptors in non-neuronal urinary bladder epithelial cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 98(23):13396-13401, 2001.

Birder LA, Nakamura Y, Kiss S, Nealen M, Barrick S, Kanai AJ, Wang E, Ruiz G, de Groat WC, Apodaca G, Watkins S and Caterina MJ. Altered bladder function in mice lacking the vanilloid receptor TRPV1. Nature Neuroscience, 5(9):856-890, 2002.

Birder LA, Barrick S, Roppolo JR, Kanai AJ, de Groat WC, Kiss S and Buffington CA. Feline interstitial cystitis results in mechanical hypersensitivity and altered ATP release from bladder urothelium. American Journal of Physiology, 285:F423-429, 2003.