The National Institutes of Health awared Valentin Pavlov, PhD, a researcher at Manhasset, N.Y.-based Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, a five-year $1.65 million grant to explore the vagus nerve's role in sepsis.
Dr. Pavlov's study will examine how the vagus nerve affects inflammation and metabolism associated with sepsis. A better understanding of the nervous system's response to sepsis could help create new bioelectronic therapies for the life-threatening condition.
"While we have uncovered that the nervous system, specifically the vagus nerve, regulates inflammation in the body, we do not know the exact neural signaling taking place during sepsis," Dr. Pavlov said in the news release. "With this support from the NIH, we aim to better understand the communication between the vagus nerve and the body's immune and metabolic responses during sepsis – this should help us identify new therapeutic targets. And this could lead to new medications or bioelectronic medicine therapies for sepsis and its long-reaching sequelae."