Violeta Mutafova-Yambolieva, M.D., Ph.D., is a Foundation Professor and Vice Chair of Physiology and Cell Biology at the University of Nevada Reno, School of Medicine, USA. She studies extracellular purinergic signaling in living systems with emphasis on the roles of purines in the regulation of smooth muscle tissues and organs. In her most recent research endeavors, her group uses cutting edge methodologies to investigate novel aspects of purinergic control of urinary bladder excitability and the role of purines in bladder dysfunctions.