Why translational research matters: proceedings of the third international symposium on acute lung injury translational research (INSPIRES III)

Current treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in critically ill patients is limited to supportive measures including mechanical ventilation. It is our view that effective therapies for ARDS can only be found through experimental and translational science that seeks to better understand the mechanisms of injury and identify therapeutic approaches, using pre-clinical models of acute lung injury that closely mimic the clinical syndrome of ARDS. This editorial gives examples of ways in which translational science contributes to the development of more specific measures against ARDS in the critically ill. In order to improve focus on this essential research as well as to enhance collaborative research efforts, a Translational Biology Group was founded within the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine. INSPIRES is an international symposium on translational research in lung injury as well as in other areas of critical illness, intended to serve as a platform for the translational biology working group. This issue of ICMx is dedicated to the proceedings of INSPIRES III.