Erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by damaged cavernous nerves affects many men who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer.

In research involving a rat model of cavernous nerve damage, David Sharp, Ph.D., and Kelvin Davies, Ph.D., found they could enhance cavernous nerve regrowth and restore animals’ erectile function by applying a topical drug that works by inhibiting fidgetin-like 2 (FL2), an enzyme that interferes with tissue repair. The National Institutes of Health has awarded the researchers a five-year, $3.2 million grant to study whether the drug’s beneficial effects involve recruiting key cell types to the injury site, and whether nerve repair mechanisms operate in both older and younger animals. The findings may lead to new strategies for treating or even preventing ED following RP.

Dr. Sharp is professor of molecular pharmacology, of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience at Einstein. Dr. Davies is professor of urology and of molecular pharmacology at Einstein. (1R01DK136889-01)