Colin Evans, PhD, FAHA, an assistant professor for the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, received an IDeA Co-Funding R01 award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for his Research Project entitled: “Inhibiting Endothelial Apoptosis in Sepsis-Induced Lung Injury." The award will run from 2026 to 2030 and totals over $2.75 million in funding.

About the project: Sepsis and severe COVID-19 can cause life-threatening lung damage known as acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is especially dangerous for older adults and can lead to death in nearly half of affected patients. Currently, there are no treatments that directly prevent or treat this lung damage.

In ARDS, cells lining the lung blood vessels often die, which worsens inflammation, fluid buildup, and lung injury. The funded studies will focus on protecting the cells that line lung blood vessels and inhibiting their injury. So far, Evans and his team have shown that two protective proteins, PLA2G2D and ALOX15, are reduced in the lungs with ARDS compared with healthy lungs. They have also found that these proteins may inhibit lung injury by producing lipid molecules that prevent the vessel-lining lung cells from dying.

In their planned studies, the funding will be used to examine how this protective pathway works in animal models, human lung cells, and lung samples from patients with ARDS or severe COVID-19. The team will also test new treatments designed to increase the activity of this pathway, including targeted gene- and drug-delivery approaches. The long-term goal is to develop safe treatments that protect lung blood vessels, reduce lung injury, and improve survival for people with ARDS.

Dr. Evans and team have also secured concurrent funding to support their studies on acute lung injury and thrombosis from the American Heart Association, the USC Office of Undergraduate Research, and the SC Honors College.