Acute Care Surgery Assistant Professor Jillian Richter, Ph.D., has won a five-year $1.8 million National Institute for General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) grant.

The funding from this R35 grant will support the continued development of her research program for studying endothelial damage and organ inflammation after traumatic injury. Richter will lead the project: “Endothelial Glycocalyx Disintegrity: Repairing the Damage caused by Trauma-Hemorrhage” with her lab that is focused on understanding the role of the endothelial glycocalyx in regulating outcomes in trauma patients.

Damage to the endothelial glycocalyx layer occurs within minutes of trauma and is associated with increased vascular permeability that, if not corrected, can lead to multi-organ failure in trauma patients. The objective of Richter’s research is to identify novel therapeutic targets that will (1) prevent glycocalyx damage, (2) repair glycocalyx integrity or (3) inhibit endothelial cell dysfunction that occurs as a consequence of glycocalyx damage.

Richter is looking forward to the impact that her research will have on acute care surgery. Advancements in pre-hospital medicine and trauma surgery have improved mortality rates after trauma, and her work aims to enhance the clinical management of critically ill patients who are at risk for organ failure in the days to weeks following injury.

“Therapeutic strategies that restore glycocalyx integrity and prevent endothelial cell dysfunction hold significant promise for improving secondary outcomes related to inflammation and organ failure in trauma patients,” said Richter. “We’re honored to use this funding to directly impact the care and outcomes for severely injured trauma patients.”