The topic of the 2014 American Urological Association/Society for Basic Urologic Research Summer Research Conference will be """"""""Patient Phenotyping: Advancing Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction."""""""" This marks the AUA's 21st Summer Research Conference, extending AUA's history of addressing timely topics in urology and nurturing the careers of urology investigators in the pivotal early stages of their professional development. The tentative date and location for the conference will be September 13-14 at the AUA Headquarters in Linthicum, Maryland. However, the meeting organizers are seeking to increase the synergy of the meeting by possibly scheduling the meeting immediately following one of the meetings of the Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network. This scheduling model will also increase participation from MAPP investigators and thus provide a draw for potential attendees. A final decision on the date and location is expected by January 2014. The meeting is organized into five main sessions, each of which will consist of 3 - 5 presentations and a 20 minute Q&A period at the end of each session. It will also include a workshop on National Institutes of Health funding and research information. There will be a keynote lecture beginning each day. Topical areas for each session will include, but are not limited to: 1) defining the clinical problems and barriers to progress tht currently exist;2) exploring how leaders in other fields, e.g., cardiology and pulmonology, are approaching this problem;3) examining systems biology approaches and adapting those to the complex interactions underlying lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD);4) exploring ways to better phenotype patients with LUTD, and 5) discussion of issues related to patient assessed outcomes. This conference is intended to complement and synergize with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases'Measurement of Urinary Symptoms (MOMUS) and Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) initiatives. Additionally, the AUA's National Urology Research Agenda (NURA) specifically identifies BPH and urinary incontinence as major priority areas, and advancing progress in those areas is part of our mission. The scientific presentations and posters displayed during the meeting will advance progress in urology research. This may also lead to new opportunities for collaborations between basic and clinical participants and eventually lead to the translation of laboratory bench findings into clinical settings and vice versa. The information shared during this meeting is expected to assist in advancing the goals of the MOMUS and LURN in terms of catalyzing progress in understanding the etiology and natural history of LUTD and development of comprehensive symptom assessment tools through patient phenotyping.
In 2014, the American Urological Association (AUA) and the Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR) will offer our 21st Summer Research Conference, entitled Patient Phenotyping: Advancing Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction. Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction (LUTD) including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and incontinence affects millions of men and women in the United States every year, resulting in serious decreases in quality of life and a tremendous economic burden. Given the data from the 2012 Urologic Diseases in America Compendium funded by NIDDK showing a 10% increase in outpatient visits for female urinary incontinence from 2002-2007 and 23 million physician visits for BPH during the same period;it is clear that the incidence and prevalence of LUTD increase with advancing age. This shift in the age structure in America and around the globe, research into the causes of lower urinary tract dysfunction, and development of diagnostic tools for symptom based diseases and conditions, is becoming ever more critical and a relevant public health concern.
