Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
Sepsis is a complex, heterogenous syndrome which has solely been characterized based upon late-stage clinical manifestations of shock and organ failure. It remains unclear if there are specific and identifiable targets in the molecular pathogenesis which link a broad range of pathogens to the characteristic clinical signs and symptoms of sepsis. While endothelial cell damage and dysfunction accounts for much of the clinical pathology of lethal sepsis, the precise molecular mechanisms that lead to endothelial alterations during sepsis remain poorly understood.