Grant: Operating Grant

Using stem cells to prevent people dying of influenza? Sounds like science fiction, but this actually represents a novel type of treatment that could potentially save the lives of many patients suffering from severe influenza, and other causes of 'white out' lungs; a condition that occurs when the lungs become flooded due to a breakdown in the normal barrier function of the blood vessels in the lung. The proposed research will study a family of blood vessel growth factors known as, angiopoietins, which play critical roles in stabilizing and maintaining the normal properties of healthy blood vessels, such as preventing vessel leakage and inhibiting inflammation. The manipulation of these growth factors, coupled with the delivery of stem cells bearing powerful anti-inflammatory properties, has already shown remarkable benefits in preclinical animal models. The therapeutic potential of this strategy will be evaluated in more clinically relevant models, in particular H1N1 influenza, in order to establish its suitability for full-scale clinical testing.