Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $50,000 to the Yale University School of Medicine to support preclinical tests on the potential of syndecan inhibition as a treatment for sepsis, led by Dr. Michael Simons. This research builds on Dr. Simons’ previous work, which found that a protein called syndecan-2 is necessary for the activity of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), another protein that can cause blood vessels to leak during severe infections. By blocking syndecan-2, researchers hope to prevent some of the dangerous complications of sepsis.
This falls within our focus area of scientific research.