Albany Medical College Awarded $2M Grant to Study Organ Failure
Scientists at Albany Medical College, a member of the Albany Med Health System, have received a five-year, $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the role of endothelial cells in organ failure.
“Previous research by my lab and others has shown that the endothelium play a key role in critical illness, when one or more organs fail to function properly,” said Alejandro Adam, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, who is leading the study.
Endothelial cells line blood and lymphatic vessels and are crucial to regulating blood flow and preventing blood clotting. But they can be damaged during critical illness or sepsis, when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection. When that happens, the endothelium may release a multitude of small proteins called cytokines.
Cytokines regulate immune responses, but they can also lead to overactive blood clotting, causing small blood clots throughout the body, a life-threateningly high number of white blood cells in the bloodstream, or excessive swelling as fluid accumulates in the body’s tissues – all of which contribute to tissue damage and organ failure.
Using human primary endothelial cells (cells isolated from human tissue), endothelial-specific transgenic mouse models, and human specimens, the scientists will study the role of a cytokine called interleukin-6 (IL-6) and how it can lead to organ failure. Their goal is to differentiate the mechanisms that regulate the immune response required to clear pathogens, from those leading to damage.
“Answering these critical questions is crucial to discovering the key determinants of organ failure,” said Dr. Adam. “We hope that the knowledge gained from this study will lead to the development of innovative new therapies that prevent organ damage without suppressing the body’s immune response.”
Titled, “Endothelial mechanisms of multiorgan dysfunction,” the study is supported by the NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
