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Justice Lab

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Our Focus on Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infections, accounting for more than 6 million office visits and 2 billion dollars for diagnosis and treatment each year. Escherichia coli (E. coli) causes up to 90% of all UTIs. UTIs during childhood lead to increased risk for kidney failure and transplantation as an adult. UTIs during pregnancy lead to an increased risk for preterm delivery of infants with low birth weight accompanied by developmental and health defects.

E. coli uses a number of tools to evade the immune response to cause infections in the bladder. The Justice Laboratory seeks to determine the specific reasons why these tools are required for E. coli to cause disease. We are also studying the reasons why UTIs cause kidney damage in children and cause premature delivery during pregnancy.

The knowledge gained through our investigations will lead to the development of better treatment options to reduce the number of UTIs per year, resulting in decreased kidney transplantation and preterm birth.

Contact the Justice Lab

Sheryl Justice, PhD, Principal Investigator
Sheryl.Justice@NationwideChildrens.org

The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
700 Children's Dr
Columbus, Oh 43205

(614) 722-4092