CAIRIBU
Collaborating for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology

About CAIRIBU

CAIRIBU is a community of NIDDK-funded benign urology research centers and programs. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) U54 Urology O’Brien Cooperative Research Centers formed the basis for CAIRIBU.

The O’Brien Centers were initially established as P50 programs by the NIDDK in 1987. Each Center worked independently until 2012, at which time they were converted to the U54 mechanism. This was done to encourage collaboration between funded centers and with the larger research community.

In December 2013, at the “Urology Program Directors’ Meeting,” NIDDK program staff brought together the research teams of the U54 O’Brien Centers as well as those of the P20 Exploratory Centers for Interdisciplinary Research in Benign Urology, the FORWARD P20 Urology Centers and the K12 Urology Career Development Programs. The “Directors’ Meetings” continued annually until 2018, at which time the meetings were formally transitioned to “CAIRIBU Meetings” in an effort to more formally promote interactions and collaboration between constituent Centers and Programs.

CAIRIBU MISSION

  1. Support the next generation of urologic researchers by providing meaningful education, support and mentoring
  2. Cultivate new research tools and ideas by expanding the collaborative network within and outside of the traditional urologic research field
  3. Enhance knowledge of mechanisms associated with normal development, function, and disease pathology related to the urinary tract, kidney, and prostate
  4. Translate the knowledge and tools generated from our collaborative work to the clinical setting to reduce the burden of benign urologic illness by developing and testing therapies to better treat, manage, and prevent these diseases

U54 GEORGE M. O’BRIEN CENTERS HISTORY

The first of the U54 George M. O’Brien Centers for Benign Urology Research was awarded to Mayo Clinic (2013-2018). The Mayo O’Brien Center team was led John Lieske, MD, a nephrologist specializing in the clinical management of urolithiasis and whose active research interests are detailed here. In 2014, two new U54 Centers received 5-year O’Brien Center grants. The UW-Madison was renewed in 2019, and Columbia University was renewed in 2020. Stanford University received a urology O’Brien Center award in 2021. SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS about these Centers. From 2016-2021, the University of Pittsburgh (PI, Zhou Wang, PhD) had an O’Brien Center award.

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P20 EXPLORATORY CENTERS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IN BENIGN UROLOGY

Prior CAIRIBU P20 Exploratory Centers:

  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine, PI Kelvin Davies, PhD (2019-2021)

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Harvard University, PI Mark Zeidel, MD (2018-2020)

  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia-University of Pennsylvania, PI Greg Tasian, MD, MSc, MSCE (2020-2022)

  • Columbia University, PI Simone Sanna-Cherchi, MD (2018-2020)

  • Duke University, PI Pei Zhong, PhD (2019-2021)

  • Medical College of Wisconsin, PI Kathryn Flynn, PhD (2020-2022)

  • Michigan Interdisciplinary Center for Urology Research and Education, PIs Bernadette Zwaans, PhD; Michael Chancellor, MD (2021-2023)

  • NorthShore University HealthSystem-Purdue University, PIs Simon Hayward, PhD and Timothy Ratliff, PhD (2018-2020)

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham, PI Dean G. Assimos, MD (2018-2020, 2020-2022)

  • University of California – San Francisco, PI Thomas Chi, MD, MBA (2016-2018)

  • University of Tennessee Health Science Center, PI Robert Wake, MD (2019-2021)

  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center, PI Maria Hadjifrangiskou, PhD (2019-2021)

  • Washington University, PI Indira Mysorekar, PhD (2018-2020)

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FORWARD P20 UROLOGY CENTERS

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MULTIDISCIPLINARY UROLOGIC RESEARCH (KURE) CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (K12)

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UROLOGICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY (KUROEPI) INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (K12)

NIDDK SUPPORT:

Christopher Mullins, PhD – Project Scientist; and Deepak Nihalani, PhD – Program Official

Kristina Penniston, PhD, RDN, is the PI of a U24 Urology Centers Program (DK127726) that provides coordination and directs interactions between CAIRIBU Centers and Programs. She is a senior scientist in the Department of Urology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.