The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) has been awarded a major federal grant to lead a national trial of treatments targeting the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System (RAAS) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Comprised of the hormones renin, angiotensin and aldosterone, RAAS is essential for the regulation of blood pressure and fluid balance. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can disrupt this system, resulting in life-threatening complications, including pulmonary edema, thromboembolic complications and severe cardiac injury.
Sean Collins, MD, MSc, professor of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who has deep expertise in emergency care and RAAS, will lead the trial, which will test whether drugs targeting RAAS can prevent the vascular, fibrotic and inflammatory consequences of severe COVID-19 disease.