Dr. Lin Zou, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, has received a research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for trauma research. Trauma claims for 8% of deaths and 16% of disabilities worldwide. Despite significant improvement in clinical care, overall trauma mortality remains high largely due to trauma-associated organ injury and secondary infection. The 5-year NIH R35 award entitled “Extracellular nucleic acids in trauma innate immunity” will support Dr. Zou’s team to investigate how extracellular nucleic acid such as RNA and DNA, released by injured cells, interacts with the body’s innate immune system and plays a role in inflammation, vascular injury, and multi-organ dysfunction after trauma. By dissecting the molecular mechanism of the trauma immunity, they are hoping to identify novel therapeutic targets to mitigate the secondary organ damage after severe injury. Click the link for additional information.