Bay Biosciences provides sera (serum), plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) samples from patients diagnosed with interstitial cystitis syndrome.

Moreover, the serum, plasma and PBMCs are processed from patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized collection and processing protocols.

In addition, detailed clinical annotations associated with interstitial cystitis syndrome specimens is provided to a valued customer for research, development and drug discovery.

Interstitial Cystitis (IC) Overview

Interstitial cystitis (IC), also known as painful  bladder syndrome, is a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, bladder pain, and sometimes pelvic pain. Furthermore, the pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe pain.

In fact, the condition is a part of a spectrum of diseases known as painful bladder syndrome. Specifically, it is a feeling of pain and pressure in the bladder area. Moreover, along with this pain are lower urinary tract symptoms which have lasted for more than 6 weeks, without having an infection or other clear causes.

Additionally, IC is a bladder condition that usually consists of multiple symptoms.

Consequently, most IC patients have recurring pelvic pain, pressure, or discomfort in the bladder and pelvic region, and urinary (needing to go often) and urgency (feeling a strong need to go). As a result, discomfort can range from a mild burning sensation to severe pain.

Moreover, the degree of discomfort can be persistent or infrequent. In summary, some patients have periods of remission.

Prevalence

According to the Interstitial Cystitis Association , interstitial cystitis (IC) affects more than 12 million people in the United States. Furthermore, women are most likely to develop interstitial cystitis (IC) syndrome; in fact,  3 to 8 million  in the United States may have interstitial cystitis (IC) disease.

That is about 3 to 6% of all women in the United States. On average, interstitial cystitis patients first start having problems in their 40s. Moreover, the risk of getting it goes up as you get older. Additionally, children and adult men can get interstitial cystitis (IC) as well. Notably, interstitial cystitis (IC) is a tricky condition and is difficult to diagnose.

Because interstitial cystitis (IC) has such a wide range of symptoms and severity, most experts think it might be several diseases. Although treatments can help manage the disease and make life with it better, there’s no cure for interstitial cystitis (IC) syndrome.

Signs and Symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis (IC)

The signs and symptoms of interstitial cystitis vary from patient to patient. If you have interstitial cystitis, your symptoms may also vary over time, periodically flaring in response to common triggers, such as menstruation, sitting for a long time, stress, exercise and sexual activity.

Following are the common signs and symptoms of Interstitial cystitis syndrome:

  • First, pain in the pelvis, vulva or between the vagina and anus in women patients
  • Second, pain between the scrotum and anus in men (perineum) pain in the testicles, penis, or the area behind the scrotum.
  • Third, bladder pressure and pain that gets worse as your bladder fills up 
  • Moreover, pain or discomfort while the bladder fills and relief after urinating
  • Furthermore, chronic pelvic pain
  • In addition, a persistent, urgent need to urinate
  • Likewise, frequent urination, often of small amounts, throughout the day and night (up to 60 times a day)
  • Lastly, for women patients pain during sexual intercourse 
  • Finally, for men, pain during orgasm or after sex

Symptoms and severity of interstitial cystitis (IC) is different for everyone, and some patients may experience symptom-free periods. Although signs and symptoms of interstitial cystitis may resemble those of a chronic urinary tract infection, there’s usually no infection.

However, symptoms may worsen if a patient with interstitial cystitis gets a urinary tract infection. The bladder pain interstitial cystitis patients feel can range from a dull ache to piercing pain. Urinating may feel like just a little sting, or it can feel like serious burning. About 5% to 10% of the interstitial cystitis (CI) patients with get ulcers in their bladder.

Causes of Interstitial Cystitis (IC)

Exact cause of interstitial cystitis (IC) is not known, but researchers believe that several factors may damage the lining of the bladder and therefore trigger the interstitial cystitis (IC) disorder. Following are some of the possible causes:

  • First, autoimmune diseases
  • Second bacterial infection
  • Third, trauma to the bladder lining (for example, from surgical procedures) 
  • Moreover, spinal cord trauma
  • Furthermore, a problem with bladder tissue lets things in your pee irritate your bladder
  • Additionally, inflammation causes your body to release chemicals that cause symptoms
  • Likewise, something in the urine may damage the bladder
  • Moreover, a nerve problem makes the bladder feel pain from things that usually don’t hurt
  • Furthermore, the immune system attacks the bladder
  • Lastly, another condition that causes inflammation is also targeting the bladder

Risk Factors of Interstitial Cystitis (IC)

Following factors are associated with developing interstitial cystitis (IC) syndrome:

  • Sex: Women are diagnosed with interstitial cystitis syndrome more often than men. Symptoms in men may mimic interstitial cystitis, but they’re more often associated with an inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis).
  • Skin and hair color: Fair skin and red hair have been associated with a greater risk of developing interstitial cystitis.
  • Age: Most people with interstitial cystitis are diagnosed during their 30s and 40s or older
  • Having a chronic pain disorder: Interstitial cystitis may be associated with other chronic pain disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome or fibromyalgia.

Complications of Interstitial Cystitis (IC)

Interstitial cystitis can result in a number of health complications, including the following:

  • Reduced bladder capacity: Interstitial cystitis can cause stiffening of the bladder wall, which causes your bladder to hold less urine.
  • Lower quality of life: Frequent urination and pain may interfere with social activities, work and other activities of daily life.
  • Sexual intimacy problems: Frequent urination and pain may strain your personal relationships, and sexual intimacy may suffer.
  • Emotional troubles: The chronic pain and interrupted sleep associated with interstitial cystitis may cause emotional stress and can lead to depression.

Diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis (IC)

There’s no test available to diagnose interstitial cystitis (IC) syndrome. Usually to make a diagnosis, your health care provider will first decide whether the symptoms are typical of interstitial cystitis (IC). Next, they need to rule out other health issues that might be causing the symptoms.

Usually If you go to your doctor complaining about bladder pain along with frequency and the urgency to pee, the next step is to rule out other conditions that maybe causing similar symptoms.

Both men and women patients would first need to rule out urinary tract infections, bladder cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and kidney stones. In women patients, endometriosis is another possibility. 

Following are the diagnostics tests that can rule out other conditions:

  • Urinalysis and urine culture: You’ll be asked to pee in a cup. Moreover, a lab will check it for infection.
  • Postvoid residual urine volume: Using an ultrasound, this test measures the amount of pee that remains in your bladder after you go to the bathroom.
  • Cystoscopy: A thin tube with a camera is used to see the inside of the bladder and urethra. 
  • Bladder and urethra biopsy: A small piece of tissue is taken and tested.
  • Bladder stretching: Your bladder is filled with liquid or gas to stretch it out. This procedure is performed under anesthesia, sometimes this is also used as a treatment, this is done with a cystoscopy.
  • Prostate fluid culture (in male patients): Your doctor will need to press on your prostate and milk a sample to test, this procedure is not commonly done.

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.