The study was led by investigators in BIDMC’s Center for Vascular Biology Research. The team examined the response to several types of infections in mice and revealed all the animals with decreased levels of the Tie2 gene, which is expressed in the inner surface of blood vessels, experienced devastating complications. Meanwhile, the mice with higher Tie2 levels were protected against complications following infectious disease.
Additionally, a research group at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston analyzed a cohort of more than 1,600 intensive care unit patients and determined those with low Tie2 levels were more likely to develop an often fatal vascular condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome, also known as ARDS.
According to senior author Samir Parikh, MD, these findings provide the first genetic evidence that Tie2 may be a crucial target for clinical development.
“Many patients with severe infections are walking a fine line between recovery and deadly complications like ARDS,” said Dr. Parikh. “If the body is genetically hard-wired to better sustain Tie2 in those critical hours, it might put that patient’s health on a whole different path.”
More articles on medical complications:
Sepsis detection: New technology leads to improvements in care and cost savings
The surprisingly high cost of (preventable) complications
SSIs are the main complications for cesarean sections: 3 study findings
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