Treating the immune reaction after cardiac arrest
Official title: Immunomodulatory Therapy After Resuscitation From Cardiac Arrest
Funded at State University of New York at Buffalo · NIH-11253266 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work tests therapies to calm the immune response in adults who are resuscitated from cardiac arrest to help reduce organ damage and death.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Amherst, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $446,516 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL160538-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11253266 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have been resuscitated after cardiac arrest and are receiving hospital care after return of spontaneous circulation are the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children, people who never regain circulation, or patients whose organ damage is not driven by inflammation are unlikely to benefit from these specific immune-targeting approaches.
What this research studies
After a cardiac arrest, your body can mount an intense immune reaction that worsens injury to the brain and other organs. Researchers at SUNY Buffalo are studying how rapid increases in white blood cells and macrophages after return of spontaneous circulation cause that damage, using laboratory and animal models plus analysis of blood cells. They plan to test drugs that blunt those immune responses and measure whether organ injury is reduced. If findings are promising, they could lead to treatments offered to people after they are resuscitated to improve survival and recovery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could reduce multi-organ injury and improve survival and recovery for people who regain circulation after cardiac arrest by limiting harmful inflammation.
How similar studies have gone: Animal studies and early human research suggest reducing post-resuscitation inflammation can help, but large clinical trials proving benefit are still lacking, so the approach remains partly experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
State University of New York at Buffalo
Amherst, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weil, Brian Raymond — State University of New York at Buffalo
- Study coordinator: Weil, Brian Raymond
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Multi-center study on how ventilation during CPR relates to cardiac arrest outcomes
A large, real-world study will look at how ventilation during CPR affects survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in adults.
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Specialized post-arrest care after cardiac arrest
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Reduce bias in predicting brain recovery after cardiac arrest
This project aims to make brain-recovery predictions more accurate for people who survive cardiac arrest by comparing outcomes between the United States and Brazil.
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Fairer brain recovery predictions after cardiac arrest through U.S.–Brazil collaboration
This project aims to find better ways to predict brain recovery for people who survive cardiac arrest but have possible brain injury.
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Improving predictions of brain recovery after cardiac arrest
This project compares outcomes after cardiac arrest in the U.S. and Brazil to learn which tests best predict who will regain brain function for people who survive cardiac arrest.
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Reducing biased predictions of brain recovery after cardiac arrest
This project looks at cardiac arrest survivors in the US and Brazil to find more accurate ways to predict brain recovery and avoid premature stopping of life support.
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.