Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of California, San Francisco received a $512,595 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), effective April 15, 2026, with completion targeted for February 28, 2030. This award funds basic biomedical research investigating a novel neural circuit mechanism that regulates urinary and fecal continence, with the ultimate objective of developing translatable therapeutic strategies for treating incontinence disorders. The research leverages mouse models to elucidate how estrogen-responsive neurons in the hypothalamus communicate with the pontine micturition center in the hindbrain to modulate bladder and colon function, potentially informing future clinical interventions for age-related incontinence.

The project delivers three coordinated research activities: identifying molecular components of inhibitory neurons and their projections to the spinal cord; determining the sufficiency of hypothalamic-hindbrain neural circuit components in controlling urine release; and characterizing the initiating signals in the hypothalamus that regulate voiding and defecation. These investigator-initiated research activities advance the scientific understanding of brain-body physiology mechanisms underlying continence control and contribute to NIDDK's mission to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney and digestive diseases through extramural basic and clinical biomedical research conducted at the San Francisco, California facility.