Reducing surgery-triggered inflammation to improve recovery after lung surgery
Targeting a Defined Surgical Stress-Induced Inflammatory Pathway to Improve Peri-Operative Outcomes
This research tests whether blocking a surgery-driven rise in eosinophils can help people recover better after lung resection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11250063 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers found in animal models that lung surgery causes a temporary surge of eosinophils that appears to worsen breathing and survival. In animals, removing eosinophils before surgery improved oxygen levels, reduced lung swelling, and increased survival. The team is studying how stress hormones and cytokines like IL-33 drive bone marrow changes that release eosinophils, and they are using genetic and drug-based approaches in animals to block those signals. The goal is to identify targets that could become treatments given around the time of surgery to lower breathing complications after lung removal.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients planning to undergo lung resection (such as lobectomy or larger thoracic surgery) would be the most likely candidates for related future trials.
Not a fit: People undergoing minor or non-thoracic surgeries, or those whose complications are unrelated to eosinophil-driven inflammation, are unlikely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce post-operative breathing complications, improve oxygenation, and lower the risk of death after major lung surgery.
How similar studies have performed: Observational human data linked perioperative eosinophil increases with worse outcomes and animal experiments showed benefit from depleting eosinophils, but direct human treatment trials are still largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- University of Maryland Baltimore — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Krupnick, Alexander S. — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Krupnick, Alexander S.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.