Compositions and Methods for Treating Neurogenic Disorders of the Pelvic Floor

Abstract

Provided herein are methods for the treatment of bladder dysfunction, including detrusor hyperreflexia and detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia, fecal incontinence, and / or sexual dysfunction in an individual via the use of stably expressed light-responsive opsin proteins capable of selective hyperpolarization or depolarization of the neural cells that innervate the muscles responsible for physiologic functioning of urinary bladder, external urinary sphincter, external anal sphincter, and the male and female genitalia.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 601,298, filed Feb. 21, 2012, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]This application pertains to methods for treating neurogenic disorders of the pelvic floor including bladder dysfunction, fecal incontinence, and sexual dysfunction in an individual, via the use of stably expressed light-responsive opsin proteins capable of selectively altering the membrane potential of the neural cells that innervate the muscles and organs responsible for urinary, rectal, and sexual function.INTRODUCTION[0003]“Optogenetics” refers to the combination of genetic and optical methods used to control specific events in targeted cells of living tissue, even within freely moving mammals and other animals, with the temporal precision (millisecond-timescale) needed to keep pace with functioning intact biological systems. The hallmark of optogenetics is t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0024]In other aspects, provided herein is a method for treating sexual dysfunction in an individual in need thereof, the method comprising: administering an effective amount of a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a light-responsive opsin protein to the individual, wherein the opsin protein is expressed on the plasma membrane of a population of neurons responsible for the innervation of the genitalia of the individual, wherein the opsin protein induces depolarization of the neurons expressing the opsin protein in response to light, whereby the depolarization of the neurons responsible for the innervation of the genitalia restores sexual function.

Problems solved by technology

The muscles of the external urinary sphincter may also be affected by spinal cord injuries, resulting in a condition known as “dyssynergia.” Dyssynergia involves an inability of urinary sphincter muscles to relax when the bladder contracts, including active contraction in response to bladder voiding, preventing urine from flowing through the urethra and resulting in the incomplete emptying of the bladder and “reflux” of urine into the kidneys.

However, the electrode is non-selective and will stimulate every tissue and cell type that falls within its electrical field.

Thus, current neurostimulatory methods and devices cannot act locally with cell-type specificity to regulate the muscles and the nerves responsible for symptoms associated with detrusor hyperreflexia and external urinary sphincter dyssynergia.

SARS requires a sacral root rhizotomy to prevent DH / DSD, resulting in loss of sexual function.

Additionally, sacral root rhizotomy further damages the afferent pathways of the lower urinary tract, leading to bladder areflexia or the loss of bladder contraction.

However, in addition to the aforementioned loss of sexual function, SARS often results in very high bladder pressure that can cause near-term vesicoureteral reflux and has been associated, long-term, with renal failure.

However, all of these treatments suffer from considerable drawbacks, including the need for frequent repeat treatments (in the case of intermittent catherization and Botulinum Toxin administration), increased urinary tract infections (catheterization, stents, balloon dilation), increased incidence of septicemia (balloon dilation), and increased susceptibility to squamous-cell carcinoma (catheterization).

However, all of these methods suffer from considerable practical drawbacks and complications.

For example, damage to the pathways used by the autonomic nervous system to innervate the penis and clitoris may interrupt sexual arousal initiated by the central nervous system.

Lesions (e.g., injury, infection, or disease) of the somatic nervous pathways (i.e., any of the nerves associated with sensation or motion) may impair reflexogenic sexual function (i.e., involuntary, instinctive physiological response to a stimulus) and may interrupt tactile sensation needed to maintain sexual arousal.

Currently, there is no good long acting, cost effective, or clinically meaningful therapy that precisely targets the neural cells and associated muscles / organs responsible for these defects with the potential to bring about more physiologically normal micturition, bowel control, and sexual function in individuals with symptoms associated with neurogenic disorders of the pelvic floor.

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