The mission of the Laboratory of Emergency Medicine is to conduct research into the underlying causes of human diseases (such as sepsis and stroke), thereby bringing new knowledge into diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for Emergency Department patients. To that end, Dr. Wang and his colleagues ask clinically relevant questions, and commit time and effort to develop research projects that will improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of human diseases, and that will help to identify novel therapeutic strategies.
 
Severe sepsis is an overwhelming systemic inflammatory response to infection, claiming approximately 225,000 victims annually in the U.S. alone. The high mortality of sepsis is in part mediated by dysregulated inflammatory responses manifested by excessive accumulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Using rodent models of endotoxemia and sepsis (induced by cecal ligation and puncture), we discovered a ubiquitous nucleosomal protein, HMGB1, as a critical late-acting proinflammatory mediator for lethal systemic inflammatory diseases (Science 1999, 285: 248-251).

Dr. Wang's groundbreaking studies on HMGB1 are acclaimed for furthering the academic knowledge surrounding immunology and inflammation management to alleviate disease propagation. We are currently investigating the mechanisms underlying regulation of HMGB1 release in animal models of experimental sepsis, and uncovering intricate mechanisms by which several herbal-derived agents (EGCG and tanshinones) inhibits HMGB1 release and/or action.  Investigation of novel inflammatory mediators and their inhibitors will shed light on the mechanisms underlying regulation of the innate immune response, and provide clues to the development of novel therapeutics for human sepsis. 

Developing ways to therapeutically treat and slow and reverse the progression of sepsis is a challenge for both physicians and researchers. Dr. Wang and his lab have continued to develop novel ways to treat sepsis at earlier stages of the disease with the hope of improving outcomes.