Acute Lung Injury and RepairAcute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the incidence is predicted to increase with the aging population Several clinical disorders can initiate ARDS, including pneumonia, sepsis, gastric aspiration and trauma but despite intense research over the past 40 years, we still have an incomplete understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease and treatment remains largely