Project Grant R15HL188995

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded Worcester Polytechnic Institute $532,935 on August 15, 2026, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to investigate the role of the endothelial glycocalyx in sepsis-induced coagulopathy.

The research targets sepsis-associated coagulopathy, a condition characterized by uncontrolled thrombosis, large vessel occlusion, and stroke that resists traditional anticoagulation therapies. The project will examine how sepsis damages the endothelial glycocalyx—the protective layer surrounding blood vessel endothelial cells—and how this damage leads to release of von Willebrand factor into the bloodstream, triggering platelet recruitment and blood clotting. Three specific aims structure the work: defining molecular damage to the glycocalyx caused by direct endotoxin infection of endothelial cells and indirect damage from proinflammatory cytokines; determining which glycocalyx molecules cooperate with P-selectin to tether von Willebrand factor to the endothelial membrane; and testing whether glycocalyx regeneration using an existing or modified protocol can reduce symptoms of sepsis-associated coagulopathy in cell culture models. The laboratory will employ in vitro studies using human cells grown in a custom device to model lung vasculature and in vivo mouse models.

The period of performance runs through April 30, 2029. Work is performed in Worcester, Massachusetts. This is a Project Grant, the assistance type used by NIH to support discrete, circumscribed research projects.