Patrick Arndt, MD

Summary
Dr. Arndt's research focuses on innate immunity and in particular the response of neutrophils to exogenous bacterial components or endogenous stress signals. The main focus of disease is acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with our overall goal to improve patient outcomes in ARDS, a disease still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Through examination of cell signaling pathways utilized by neutrophils in their response to stress mediators, he hopes to identify targets that may be useful in dampening the response of neutrophils and accordingly decrease the severity of lung injury and the development of acute respiratory failure. The major area of focus has been dissecting the pathways used by the mitogen activated protein kinase family of cell signaling molecules in order to better understand their upstream and downstream signaling components that induce and regulate the cellular activation of neutrophils. These identified components can then be assessed for their potential as modifiable targets for the treatment of ARDS at the bedside by drug or genetic approaches with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.