Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will lead a multicenter study based on a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The investigation will explore the effectiveness of using high doses of vitamin C to treat septic lung injury resulting from infection. The VCU team will collaborate with colleagues from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the University of Virginia and Emory University to begin phase two, or proof of concept, clinical trials to evaluate vitamin C in the patient population and determine efficacy.

Sepsis is caused by the immune system’s response to a serious infection and is characterized by systemic inflammation, organ dysfunction and organ failure. Despite modern advances in critical care, one-third to half of all severely septic patients die, resulting in millions of deaths globally each year. In preclinical studies, vitamin C prevented the inflammatory response in sepsis, making it a potentially life-saving intervention.

For more information, visit vcu.edu.