News & Blog

ICA staff recently attended the 15th National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Network Steering Committee Meeting held on September 15-16 in Washington, DC. NIDDK launched MAPP to help better understand the underlying causes of the two most prominent chronic urological pain syndromes – interstitial cystitis (IC) and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). ICA is one of only two patient advocacy organizations participating in the MAPP Steering Committee meetings. The researchers are planning Phase II of the study and are finalizing the Phase II protocols. Patient recruitment is expected to begin in early 2015. ICA thanks the patients and study participants of MAPP I for their dedication, commitment, and extremely high retention rate. Because of the discoveries made by so many diligent investigators both in MAPP and other research programs, there is hope for discovery of better treatments and an eventual cure for IC in the future.