Project Grant R01HL185536

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded The Research Foundation for the State University of New York $502,773 on August 1, 2026, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to develop and evaluate docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-loaded nanoparticles as an inflammation resolution therapy targeting acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The research addresses the clinical challenge that anti-inflammatory agents—the current standard approach to managing unresolved inflammation in ALI/ARDS—have failed to demonstrate clear benefits in clinical trials and carry significant risk of secondary infection. The project leverages an alternative mechanism: specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators derived from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. DHA is a major PUFA component that biosynthesizes resolvins (specifically RVD1 and RVD2), which the investigator's lab hypothesizes can resolve inflammation through multifaceted mechanisms. The core challenge in clinical translation is that resolvin synthesis requires lipoxygenase (LOX) from activated neutrophils, and ALI/ARDS pathogenesis involves neutrophil sequestration in the lungs. The project tests whether DHA-loaded nanoparticles can deliver DHA to inflammatory lung tissue where sequestered neutrophils can metabolize it to produce resolvins in situ, creating a locally active inflammation resolution therapy.

Work is performed in Amherst, New York. The award obligates $502,773 with a period of performance through April 27, 2030. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York receives this award as the fiscal agent for the State University of New York system and administers the grant on behalf of the recipient institution.