Priya N. Werahera, PhD, presented “Updates with Addressing the Microbiome” during the 24th Future Directions in Urology Symposium in August 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
How to cite: Werahera, Priya N. “Updates with Addressing the Microbiome.” August 2024. Accessed Dec 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/updates-with-addressing-the-microbiome/
Updates with Addressing the Microbiome – Summary
Priya N. Werahera, PhD, explores the characterization of urinary microbiomes in healthy individuals and their implications for understanding disease processes such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and other urologic conditions. In this 10-minute talk, he shares that urogenital microbiota, residing in the urinary and genital tracts, is now better understood due to advancements in next-generation sequencing.
The study identified urinary microbiomes in healthy men and women. Dr. Werahera discusses key findings, including identifying 609 species dominated by four major phyla and notable differences in microbial profiles between genders. This data encourages further discussion, questioning whether medication, gender, or age affect microbiome profiles.
The findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach is inadequate; instead, personalized assessment of urinary microbiomes, considering individual patient factors, is crucial for accurately diagnosing and managing bladder-related symptoms and infections.
The Future Directions in Urology Symposium (FDUS) is an annual urology think tank and non-CME educational summit that brings together industry figures and experts to discuss the current state of genitourinary care and define future directions in treatment. Dr. Dreicer delivered this educational activity during the 24th iteration of the meeting in August 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Priya N. Werahera, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor (Retired) in the Departments of Pathology and Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1994. His main research interests are biomedical imaging, optical spectroscopy, bioinstrumentation, computer modeling, and nanotechnologies for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.
Dr. Werahera is a renowned leader in clinical translational research in prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy with over 30 years of experience. He developed a novel computer algorithm and methodology to create equivalent 3D computer models of human prostate specimens. One of his major accomplishments is the proof-of-concept work on template-guided transperineal mapping biopsy protocol to identify low-risk prostate cancer patients. Additionally, Dr. Werahera led a team of investigators that measured prostate tumor growth rates in humans to find out whether there is a difference in growth rates of latent versus aggressive prostate cancer, proving that maximum tumor doubling times of latent and prostate tumors are not significantly different, as was previously thought.
Dr. Werahera has prototyped a minimally invasive 16g optical biopsy needle capable of diagnosing prostate cancer with very high sensitivity and specificity by inserting an optical sensor at the tip of a biopsy needle (US patent). Additionally, he is the Chief Science Officer (CSO) and Consultant of PreView Medical Inc., a startup company which has licensed this technology and is working on development of ClariCore Optical Biopsy System™ for real-time diagnosis of prostate cancer. Dr. Werahera has written over 60 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications. He is a Senior Life Member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
