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Beaumont Researchers Get Grant To Study Bladder Condition

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — Researchers at Beaumont Hospital have been awarded a $3.8 million Defense Department grant to develop a screening tool to speed diagnosis of a chronic bladder condition.

The grant, which also aims to spur development of new treatments for the condition, is among the largest received by one of its teams, according to the Royal Oak-based Beaumont Research Institute.

People with the condition, interstitial cystitis, experience frequent urination, urgency to urinate and intense pain in the bladder or pelvic region. It affects between 4-12 million Americans.

The condition currently is treated with a patchwork of medications.

Lead researcher Laura Lamb said the condition can affect an individual's ability to serve his or her country.

"Our hope is that we can help with military readiness, as well as the general well-being and health of services members," said Lamb, an associate professor at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.

Study participants are being recruited online in each state. The effort aims to enlist 3,000 people with the condition and 1,000 who don't have it.

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