Alliance for Patient-centred UTI Research (APUR)

Alliance for Patient-centred UTI Research (APUR) is a collaboration between Live UTI Free, Chronic UTI Australia, CUTIC (UK) and Let’s Talk UTI (US).

APUR is a global alliance working to improve the lives of millions of people living with urinary tract infection (UTI) by advancing the understanding and management of UTI through patient-centred research and advocacy.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) affects around 404 million people (85% female) globally every year. We intend to change that.

Who Are We?

Live UTI Free is a patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), patient research and advocacy organisation, and co-author of two validated patient reported outcome measures for recurrent urinary tract infection. Alongside leading research, Live UTI Free provides free resources to those living with recurrent and chronic UTI. These resources include contact information for UTI specialists, free downloads to share with clinicians, and a vast range of educational materials, all via their website, YouTube channel, Instagram and other social media.

Chronic UTI Australia was founded in 2018 as Australia’s first and only national patient advocacy organisation dedicated to urinary tract infection (UTI). As a not-for-profit organisation, Chronic UTI Australia strives to have UTI added to Australia’s public health agenda by advocating for awareness, recognition, education, research and improved testing and treatment for all forms of UTI.  Chronic UTI Australia is proudly aligned with its international sister organisations in a new initiative for greater global advocacy for UTI.  A united, worldwide push can only strengthen the patient voice and help achieve the changes we all seek.

CUTIC is a not-for-profit organisation formed by a small group of expert patients in 2016.  We work closely with clinicians, researchers and other professionals to achieve the following aims:

• Raise awareness about ongoing, chronic urinary tract infections
• Challenge current tests which fail to diagnose a significant number of UTIs
• Gain official recognition and formal treatment guidelines for chronic UTI
• Enable swift diagnosis of chronic UTI in order to avoid any misdiagnoses of interstitial cystitis, painful bladder syndrome and urethral syndrome
• Ensure effective specialist treatment for chronic UTI is available to all

Let’s Talk UTI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating awareness, education, and community around urinary tract infections – the most diagnosed outpatient infection in the United States. We serve as a voice for change, supporting research and advancing education to transform UTI care.

Our Research

Our first research collaboration is The Global UTI Project, which launched in January 2024. Learn more here:

More Research from APUR Alliance Members

1. Confirmatory structural validation and refinement of the Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection Symptom Scale
2. Psychosocial burden and healthcare disillusionment in recurrent UTI: a large-scale international survey of patient perspectives
3. Public interest in online information on recurrent UTIs is greatest for information with the poorest publication quality
4. Development and psychometric validation of a patient-reported outcome measure of recurrent urinary tract infection impact
5. The Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection Symptom Scale: Development and validation of a patient‐reported outcome measure
6. Using the Working Model of Adjustment to Chronic Illness to explain the burden of recurrent urinary tract infection: A survey-based study

1. Hearing Patient Voices – Chronic UTI Survey Report

Join the Alliance!

We’d love to hear from UTI advocacy organizations in other regions, so please get in touch: