TRPping up overactive bladder

A collaboration between researchers at Hydra Biosciences Inc. and Catholic University Leuven has found that antagonizing the ion channel TRPV4 could provide a new mechanism to treat overactive bladder.¹ The biotechexpects that blocking the target will elicit fewer side effects than marketed anticholinergic therapies.

Overactive bladder develops when the nervous system is unable to properly control bladder muscle contraction. Its causes range from systemic neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS) to localized inflammation of the bladder in the case of urinary tract infections. The majority of approved drugs for overactive bladder antagonize muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, which regulate the contraction of smooth muscle in the bladder...