A Multi-scale Functional Approach to Studying Female Pelvic Soft Tissues - From Micro to Macro

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

8:00 AM – 11:30 AM US PST

Location: B110

Earn 3.50 CME Hour

Workshop Lead Faculty(s)

Pamela A. Moalli, MD/PhD

Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
MPC Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens Research Institute
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Moderator(s)

MP

Michael Pezzillo, MD

Fellow
Henry Ford Health System
Shelby Twp, Michigan, United States
Robert Kelley, DO, MBA

Associate Professor
Emory University School of Medicine
Avondale Estates, Georgia, United States
Steve Abramowich, PhD (he/him/his)

Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Meridian, Pennsylvania, United States

Workshop Faculty(s)

Kristin Myer, PhD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
Columbia University, New York, United States
Raffaella De Vita, PhD

Professor
Virginia Tech
Rong Wang, PhD (she/her/hers)

Professor
Illinois Institute of Technology, Illinois, United States
Virginia Ferguson, PhD (she/her/hers)

Professor
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, Colorado, United States
Katrina Knight, PhD

Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Kristin S. Miller, PhD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
University of Texas at Dallas University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, United States
Marsha K. Guess, MD

Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology FPMRS Fellowship Director
The University of Colorado School of Medicine
Aurora, Colorado, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Stephanie Sansone, MD

Urogynecology Attending
Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Neptune, New Jersey, United States
Linda Burkett, MD MSc (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia, United States
Anna Dukhovich, MD (she/her/hers)

Fellow, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center
stamford, Connecticut, United States
Katrina Knight, PhD

Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Rui Liang, MD

Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
LB

Lindsey A. Burnett, PhD, MD

PFD Committee
UC San Diego
La Jolla, California, United States

Disclosure(s):

Pamela A. Moalli, MD/PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Michael Pezzillo, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Robert Kelley: Medtronic Inc: Consultant/Advisory Board (Terminated, June 17, 2022)

Steve Abramowich, PhD: Renovia, Inc.: independent Research Funding (Terminated, December 31, 2022); Sage Therapeutics, Inc.: Collaborative Research Support (Ongoing)

Kristin Myer, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Raffaella De Vita, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Rong Wang, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Katrina Knight, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Stephanie Sansone, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Linda Burkett, MD MSc: No financial relationships to disclose

Anna Dukhovich, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Rui Liang, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Lindsey A. Burnett, PhD, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Pelvic floor disorders have been historically understudied as they primarily impact women. Pelvic floor disorders including pelvic organ prolapse and urinary/fecal incontinence. These disorders are thought to arise from multi-scale dysfunction of pelvic soft tissues including pelvic floor muscles and connective tissues. Profound changes in pelvic soft tissues occur during physiologic states across the lifespan including pregnancy, parturition, and aging. These changes impact the function and integrity of pelvic soft tissues and include hormonal and mechanical alterations such as mechanical loading and parturition-associated strain. Biologic tissues are organized in hierarchical structures from the microscopic to macroscopic scale. Tissue properties vary by scale. Understanding how these structures are differentially impacted by the physiologic states experienced by women is critical to the development of novel prevention and treatment strategies for pelvic floor disorders. Advanced multi-scaled methods are available to determine interaction of supporting structures and assess both active and passive support on multiple levels to understand alterations in pelvic soft tissues resulting in dysfunction. This workshop will feature a scaled-up approach to studying PFDs from cells and organoids, to tissues, to animal models, to women.

Agenda:
8:00 am – 8:10 am Opening Remarks (Pam Moalli)
8:10 am – 8:50 am Keynote: Pregnancy Biomechanics and Assessing the Risk of Preterm Birth (Kristin Meyer)
8:50 am – 9:30 am Keynote: The Vagina Dialogues: Biomechanics and Women’s Health (Raffaella De Vita)
9:30 am – 10:00 am Abstract Presentations (Moderator: Michael Pezzillo)
Each 7 min presentation/3 min Q&A
1) Assessment of Surface Penetration Capability of E. faecalis Strains Isolated from UTI Patients – Stephanie Sansone
2) A methodologic description of functional near-infrared spectroscopy during bladder filling – Linda Burkett
3) Studies using an in vitro model of urothelial barrier dysfunction support Panx1 role in IC/BPS – Anna Dukhovich

10:00 am – 10:10 am BREAK
10:10 am – 11:30 am Panel Discussion (Moderators: Steve Abramowitz and Marsha Guess)
- Nano/Micro Scale (Rong Wang) (15 minutes)
- Micro-Scale Mechanics of the Cervix and Uterosacral Ligaments (Ginger Ferguson) (15 minutes)
- Macro (Tissue) Level Scale of the Vagina (Katrina Knight) (15 minutes)
- Tissue-Level Vaginal Function (Kristin Miller) (15 minutes)
- Question and Answer (20 minutes)

11:30 am – 12:00 pm Abstract Presentations (Moderator: Robert Kelley)
Each 7 min presentation/3 min Q&A
1) Impact of Modifiable Features on the Behavior of Mid-Urethral Slings: an ex vivo study – Katrina Knight
2) Longitudinal Impact of Mesh Implantation and Menopause on Vaginal Tissue Structure – Rui Liang
3) Defining Structural and Architectural Changes in Mouse Pelvic Floor Muscles During Pregnancy – Lindsey Burnett

12:00 pm Closing Remarks (Marsha Guess)

Learning Objectives:

Understand the need for mechanistic research in the study of medical problems disproportionately impacting women including pelvic floor disorders.
Understand biomechanical approaches to defining and treating pelvic floor disorders.
Understand the limitations of each approach according to scale and the need for multiple scales.
Develop solutions into your current research project that incorporates biomechanics.