Sepsis is a complex condition in which a systematic inflammatory response is activated by infection, setting off a cascade of events that can culminate in multiple organ failure and death. New therapeutic strategies are urgently needed, with a key goal being the development of drugs that can be administered when sepsis is already underway. Inhibition of the transcription factor NF-κB has been shown to have a protective role in sepsis. Here, Christoph Thiemermann and colleagues tested the effect of inhibiting the IKK complex, which is involved in the early stages of NF-κB activation, on organ dysfunction and injury in mouse models of sepsis. They report that sepsis-induced organ injury is attenuated upon delayed administration of an IKK inhibitor, suggesting that this inhibitor could be given to sepsis patients during the devastating late stages in disease progression. Page 1031

• Written by editorial staff. © 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.