FIU’s Stephen Black received three recent NIH awards. “Each project moves us closer to translating discoveries from the bench to the bedside,” says Black. One project explores why some children with congenital heart defects develop pulmonary vascular disease. The team is studying whether the gene regulator SOX18 and a metabolic pathway producing proline drive these damaging changes.

“We’re uncovering how blood vessel cells rewire under stress,” says Black. “By understanding these triggers, we can design interventions to protect the lung’s fragile vascular system and prevent irreversible disease.” The second award targets a deadly complication of sepsis—acute lung injury, while the third aims to develop new treatments for acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

• STEPHEN BLACK