# Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome after Isolated Traumatic Brain Injury: Platelet Biology, Endothelial Activation, and Mechanical Ventilation

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $198,907

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
This is an application for a K23 award for Dr. Carolyn Hendrickson, a pulmonary and critical care physician at
the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Hendrickson is establishing herself as a young investigator in
patient-oriented research of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), with a focus on the biologic
mechanisms of ARDS after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This K23 award will provide Dr. Hendrickson with the
support necessary to accomplish the following goals: (1) to become an expert clinical and translational
researcher in ARDS after traumatic injury; (2) to study the biologic mechanisms of ARDS after TBI involving
platelet biology, endothelial activation, and lung injury induced by mechanical ventilation; (3) to implement
advanced analyses of complex observational data, including machine learning; (4) to develop an independent
translational research career. Dr. Hendrickson's plan to achieve these goals is supported by a multidisciplinary
mentoring team of experts. Her primary mentor, Dr. Michael Matthay, has extensive experience in translational
ARDS research and in the career development of early stage investigators. Dr. Hendrickson will work with four
co-mentors: Dr. Mitchell Cohen, a translational researcher studying coagulation after trauma, Dr. Alan
Hubbard, a biostatistician specializing in causal inference, Dr. Geoffrey Manley, a neurosurgeon and leading
investigator in TBI research, and Dr. Mark Looney, an expert platelet biology and lung injury.
The development of ARDS after TBI is common and is associated with worse neurological outcomes. The
biologic mechanisms driving ARDS after TBI are poorly understood. The central hypothesis of this proposal is
that the risk of ARDS after TBI is mediated through activated vascular endothelium and platelets as well as
non-protective mechanical ventilation strategies that use large tidal volumes. Dr. Hendrickson will investigate
these causal pathways utilizing previously collected data and plasma from an ongoing observational cohort
study. In this same cohort she will prospectively collect biospecimens, detailed mechanical ventilation data,
and lung ultrasound images. This proposal represents an innovative approach to studying ARDS after TBI
using carefully adjudicated exposures and outcomes. Dr. Hendrickson will test whether plasma biomarkers of
endothelial activation, vascular permeability, and inflammation (Aim 1) and platelet function, activation, and
aggregation (Aim 2) are associated with ARDS after TBI. She will collect lung ultrasound images and frequent
mechanical ventilation data including tidal volumes and plateau pressures. She will test whether early
exposure to non-protective mechanical ventilation is associated with ARDS after TBI (Aim 3). Addressing this
gap in knowledge may lead to interventions that prevent ARDS and improve outcomes in this patient
population. The research and training outlined in this proposal will form the basis for...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9983146
- **Project number:** 5K23HL133495-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Carolyn Marie Hendrickson
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $198,907
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9983146

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9983146, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome after Isolated Traumatic Brain Injury: Platelet Biology, Endothelial Activation, and Mechanical Ventilation (5K23HL133495-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9983146. Licensed CC0.

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