Project Grant R01HL178801

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. $588,284 on August 1, 2026, to investigate long noncoding RNA regulation in complement-mediated endothelial barrier disruption as a potential therapeutic strategy for acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Award R01HL178801 is funded under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), a Project Grant.

The research addresses the persistent 30–40% mortality rate in acute respiratory distress syndrome despite five decades of diagnostic and therapeutic development. The project focuses on endothelial cell death as a critical pathological event in the disease; damage to pulmonary capillary endothelial cells compromises the alveolar-capillary barrier, resulting in increased vascular permeability, pulmonary edema, and impaired gas exchange. The recipient identified a long noncoding RNA, lncenc1, that is markedly upregulated in murine lungs following bacterial infection. The research demonstrates that lncenc1 deficiency confers protection against Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced lung injury and pulmonary edema, suggesting that targeting long noncoding RNA mechanisms of endothelial cell death may offer a novel approach to improve outcomes in patients with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Performance occurs in Athens, Georgia. The period of performance extends from August 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031.