Paul Marker, associate professor and Vice Chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, and associate dean for research, is co-leader with Chad Vezina, assistant professor, Department of Comparative Biosciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine, on a research project that is part of a 5-year National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) George M. O’Brien Urology Cooperative Research Center Grant totaling more than $8.3 million.

Three scientific projects will be supported by the Center’s research. Project 2 assesses the role of hormone-regulated beta-catenin in lower urinary tract dysfunction in males and will be led by Marker and Vezina.

The Center is directed by Drs. William A. Ricke, Ph.D. and Dale E. Bjorling, DVM, M/S. Dr. Ricke is an associate professor and Director of Research in the Department of Urology and member of the UW Carbone Cancer Center and Molecular Environmental Toxicology Center. Dr. Bjorling is a professor and Associate Dean of Research in School of Veterinary Medicine.

The Center was designed to bring together leaders in urology and fibrosis fields to focus on the urologic diseases. The Center is concentrated on understanding the role of prostatic fibrosis in development of lower urinary tract dysfunction.

Vezina was formerly a postdoctoral research associate in Professor Richard Peterson’s group in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division at the School of Pharmacy.