Any body malformation can cause both psychological and physical discomfort, especially if it’s on a sensitive body part. Hypospadias is the second most common birth defect in males – affecting about 1% of boys in the world – and is characterized by an abnormality where the urethra does not exit normally.
One researcher from the University of Missouri School of Medicine recently received $3.4 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate why this defect happens in hopes of preventing it in the future.
“Despite how common hypospadias is, we still do not know what causes it,” grant recipient Ciro Amato said. “The majority of cases are corrected via surgery when the baby is around six months old. The severity of hypospadias has a large range, with mild cases typically only needing one surgery, while severe cases can require multiple. Regardless, it can be scary to put your baby under the knife, and we hope this grant will help us find ways to prevent this defect.”
The research will investigate a group of cells that are responsible for constructing the urethra, with the goal of identifying the proteins essential for creating the exit. After, Amato’s team will focus on finding a way to introduce these proteins into mice models of hypospadias, to see if they can restore normal urethra closure.
“We’re hoping that, with this data, we’ll be able to understand what causes hypospadias to form and in turn how to prevent it from occurring in boys during fetal development,” Amato said.
Ciro Amato, PhD is an assistant professor of surgery and urology at the Mizzou School of Medicine. He is also a NextGen Precision Health investigator. The NIH grant will award $3.4 million over five years.
Highlighting the promise of personalized health care and the impact of large-scale interdisciplinary collaboration, the NextGen Precision Health initiative is bringing together innovators from across the University of Missouri and the UM System’s three other research universities in pursuit of life-changing precision health advancements. It’s a collaborative effort to leverage the research strengths of Mizzou toward a better future for the health of Missourians and beyond. The Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building at MU anchors the overall initiative and expands collaboration between researchers, clinicians and industry partners in the state-of-the-art research facility.
