Dr Kylie Mansfield, Chair of Phase 1, Lecturer in Physiology

Dr. Kylie Mansfield was appointed as lecturer in Physiology within the division of the Biomedical Sciences for the Graduate School of Medicine in July 2006. She completed a PhD in cellular physiology at the University of Wollongong in 2000 and then undertook research at the University of Sydney (2001) and University of New South Wales (2002-2006). Her academic experience includes teaching and facilitating for students studying medicine and medical science as well as supervising and mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate research students.

Kylie has diverse research experience in the fields of physiology and pharmacology. Her current research, in collaboration with scientists and clinicians at UNSW, is concerned with muscarinic receptors and their role in the overactive bladder. This disorder can lead to urinary incontinence, a debilitating chronic disease responsible for loss of social dignity, with major socio-economic costs. Because patients are reluctant to speak about this disorder it is not widely known that 17% of people over age 40 suffering from OAB symptoms. “Urge incontinence” occurs without warning, when muscular spasms arise in the wall of the bladder. The cause of such detrusor muscle spasms is not known. The main treatment is with antimuscarinic drugs, but associated side effects are often use limiting. We recently published the first report of human urothelial muscarinic receptors (Mansfield et al., 2005, BJP144, 1089-99). We have since investigated the hypothesis that some of the effects of antimuscarinic agents may be due to interaction with mucosal muscarinic receptors by examining the binding characteristics of commonly used antimuscarinic agents on the bladder detrusor and mucosa. This work was awarded the “best basic science presentation” at the ICS meeting in Montreal, Canada, 2005 and a Faculty Research Grant from UNSW Medical Faculty.

Searchable RIS publications from 2000 to date

Last reviewed: 15 May, 2008