# PROJECT 1 - Host Neuraminidases in Hemostasis and Sepsis

> **NIH NIH P01** · SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE · 2021 · $549,346

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Coagulopathy and inflammation are the primary contributors to organ failure and patient death in sepsis.
Among the top five causes of human mortality worldwide, the number of sepsis cases diagnosed annually now
exceeds that of cancer. Among survivors, many suffer lifelong debilitation with cognitive decline from the
extensive vascular damage of the host response. Decades of failure in the development of effective
therapeutics for sepsis are reflected by the continuing high rate of patient mortality while many billions of
dollars of healthcare costs are expended annually. It has become evident that a greater mechanistic
understanding is needed regarding the molecular pathophysiology of this deadly syndrome. This project
addresses this need with proposed research of a recently discovered mechanism of glycoprotein remodeling,
senescence, and clearance that participates in disparate pathways modulating the coagulopathy and
inflammation in sepsis. We have linked the step-wise post-translational remodeling of nascent blood
glycoproteins by multiple glycosidases to increased protein age in circulation and to the formation of ligands for
endocytic lectin receptors. This process normally determines the half-lives and functions of multiple blood
components. Rates of this remodeling are altered in sepsis and among different blood components often linked
to pathogen identity. Increased rates of remodeling rapidly change the abundance and functions of key
glycoproteins including anti-inflammatory enzymes, coagulation factors, and platelets. Our findings are
consistent with the hypothesis that sepsis is not a singular disease mechanism and may be further understood
and stratified by analyzing alterations in host glycoprotein remodeling in the context of discrete pathogen
identities and associated toxins. This may have important implications for designing future therapeutic
approaches. The aims of this project encompass this perspective and the central hypothesis of the program:
Protein glycosylation and glycoprotein remodeling alter the coagulopathy and inflammation of sepsis. Research
proposed herein includes the identification and characterization of glycosidases and lectin receptors in the
blood and vascular systems contributing to blood component modulation and mechanisms of coagulopathy
and inflammation in sepsis. Blood glycoproteins desialylated by host Neu1 and Neu3 neuraminidases will be
identified and characterized including those targeted for increased endocytic clearance in sepsis. The related
process of platelet aging and clearance and its increase in sepsis will be further investigated. Recent findings
demonstrate a mysterious collaborative interaction between the Ashwell-Morell receptor of hepatocytes and
the macrophage galactose lectin of Kupffer cells. This project will also continue to acquire and analyze medical
records and blood samples provided by human sepsis patients and volunteers to achieve further translational
links yielding m...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10171428
- **Project number:** 2P01HL131474-06
- **Recipient organization:** SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMEY MARTH
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $549,346
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2016-07-15 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10171428

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10171428, PROJECT 1 - Host Neuraminidases in Hemostasis and Sepsis (2P01HL131474-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10171428. Licensed CC0.

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