Tulane Urology has over 3300 square feet of research laboratory space, including a basic research area, a molecular biology laboratory (with equipment), and a clinical research office. Although research is not mandated, every effort is made to provide residents with the necessary tools to conduct research and to pursue an academic career.
Available Features/Resources:
- A full-service vivarium
- A small animal lab
- A simulation center
In addition, residents will be provided:
- Funds for research projects and authorized travel; and
- Opportunities to collaborate with
- two full-time PhD researchers in our department and with
- faculty in the Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine for outcomes research.
Dr. Asim Abdel-Mageed and Dr. Suresh Sikka head our extensive basic research facility.
Ongoing Research Projects
Asim Abdel-Mageed, PhD 
Dr. Abdel-Mageed's laboratory primarily focuses on basic research into the cellular and molecular aspects of urologic diseases, with particular attention given to prostate and bladder cancer. The laboratory has a special interest in identifying molecular determinants of prostate cancer progression, using in-vitro and in-vivo experimental approaches.
Active Projects
- Targeting Tumor-Derived exRNA-Containing Microvesicles by High-Throughput Screening
- Estrogen-ER Axis in Disparity of Prostate Cancer
- Adipose stem cell-based therapeutic targeting of residual androgens in African Americans with bone metastatic prostate cancer"
Suresh Sikka, PhD
Men's Health (Male Infertility, Sexual Dysfunction, Genitourinary Inflammation, Prostate Diseases, Environmental Reproductive Toxicology, Role of Oxidative Stress/Antioxidants, Sperm Safety Multicenter Clinical Studies, Forensic Applications, Endocrine Disruptors, and Andropause)
Male Infertility
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART)
- Oxidative Stress and Role of Antioxidants
- Testicular Toxicology
- Standardized S/E Training Program
- DNA Identification
- Chromosome Evaluation
Sexual Health
- Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
- Peyronie's Disease
- Oxidative Stress and Role of Antioxidants
- Role of Stem Cells
Prostate Health
- BPH
- Prostatitis and GUI
- Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS)
- Male Aging (Andropause)
- Hypogonadism & Hormone Replacement
- Prostate Cancer
Manesh Kumar Panner-Selvam, PhD
Dr. Panner-Selvam’s research focus has been on reproductive biology, with expertise in sperm and seminal plasma proteomics. His laboratory uses applied bioinformatics tools to study the role of sperm proteins related to male infertility and to identify potential novel biomarkers.
Active Projects
- Understanding the role of seminal exosome proteins associated with sperm dysfunction
- Sperm telomere length as a novel diagnostic marker of DNA damage
- Impact of COVID-19 on male reproduction
Wayne Hellstrom, MD, FACS
Dr. Wayne Hellstrom has been a mentor and a researcher for over 34 years at Tulane. His work significantly attracts medical students as well as residents who present research findings at meetings, such as the American Society of Andrology (ASA), the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA), and the American Urological Association (AUA), and who subsequently publish manuscripts regarding such research in highly respected journals.
Active Projects
- Patient-derived tunical albuginea Xenograft model: a new animal model of Peyronie’s disease
- Molecular mechanisms of penile traction for penile rehabilitation in a bilateral cavernous nerve crush injury rat model
