A novel treatment target to restore blood pressure in septic patients
We have recently discovered a completely novel way by which blood pressure is controlled in an experimental model of sepsis. Preliminary studies suggest that this pathway may also be operative in humans suffering from sepsis. The newly discovered pathway is predominantly active in the small blood vessels that regulate blood pressure, and it depends on both, the formation of a novel molecule and a novel mode of action. We now aim to obtain proof-of-principle that the novel pathway is also relevant in human sepsis. In doing so, novel treatment options will be defined for the restoration of normal blood pressure in experimental sepsis as a lead towards its translation to human sepsis.