My laboratory focuses on two areas of research: (a) respiratory muscle dysfunction in critically ill patients, and (b) the mechanisms of organ failure and death from sepsis. Both topics are related to critical care medicine. The goal of our study of respiratory muscle dysfunction is to discover new treatments designed to improve weaning patients from mechanical ventilation, thereby reducing patient morbidity. The goal of our study of sepsis is to discover new treatments to prevent multiorgan failure, the leading cause of death in intensive care units in the United States. We use animal models of disease to establish disease mechanisms and to trial new therapies and we also study human patients in the ICU to allow us to translate basic science discoveries into clinical therapies. Our laboratory uses a mixture of techniques to accomplish these objectives, including  proteomic assessments, physiological assessment of organ and cell function, biochemical assessment of enzyme pathways, cell culturing techniques, fluorescent microscopy, molecular techniques to alter gene expression, assessment of organ function in critically ill patients (muscle cardiac, vascular, lung), and muscle biopsy techniques in patients. Our work is currently funded by three NIH grants.

Ongoing Research Projects

Project Title: Evaluation and Treatment of Skeletal Muscle Weakness in Critically Ill Patients
Type: RC1HL100239
Principal Investigator  Dr. Gerald Supinski  Co-investigator Dr. Leigh Ann Callahan
Sponsor: National institutes of Health/NHLBI
Period: 9/30/2009-10/1/2011         
Funding in the current year (Direct) $323838
This project examines muscle strength in critically ill patients and tests the usefulness of two pharmacological treatments to preserve and improve muscle strength

Project Title:  Caspase Induced Diaphragm Dysfunction”
Type: RO1  HL80429          
Principal Investigator: Gerald Supinski  
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health/ National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute
Period:  12/1/2005-11/31/2011 
Amount of funding in the current year of support: $225,000 (Direct)
This project examines the mechanisms by which caspase activation induces skeletal muscle dysfunction.

Project Title: MAPK/PKR Modulation of Diaphragm Weakness
Type: RO1 HL081525
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Gerald Supinski 
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health/ National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute
Period:   7/1/2006-6/30/12
Funding in the current year of support:  $250,000 (Direct)
This project examines the signaling pathways responsible for the development of diaphragmatic weakness, including MAPK and PKR mediated signaling.