Sepsis Immune Phenotyping (SIP) study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Phenotyping Immunity of Critically Ill Patients
IRAS ID
246284
Contact name
Nishkantha Arulkumaran
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London Hospital Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Sepsis, the dysregulated host response to an infection, is associated with significant short and long-term mortality globally. Many patients with sepsis survive their initial insult but die several days following initial presentation. Persistent and secondary infections are commonplace among patients with longer durations of stay within the intensive care unit (ICU), and often associated with impaired immune cell function (sepsis- induced immunosuppression).
The cause of sepsis- induced immunosuppression is multifactorial, and includes inadvertent effects of routinely administered medications. The clinical impact of routinely administered medications on the patient’s organ function, including the immune system, is poorly characterised. A better understanding may facilitate personalised prescribing of routinely used medications to ameliorate sepsis induced immune dysfunction. Additionally, immunomodulatory therapies may have potential utility in preventing any inadvertent effects of prescribed medications on the immune system.
Immunomodulatory therapies may restore immune cell signalling to facilitate clearance of the invading pathogen. However, several clinical trials have failed to demonstrate benefit of immunomodulatory therapy in sepsis. This likely reflects our inability to identify individual patients who may benefit from therapy. Clinical trials need to both target those patients at risk and those likely to benefit from the intervention, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
The purpose of this study is two-fold. Firstly, we aim to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to immune dysfunction in sepsis, with the intention of identifying individual patients who may benefit from therapeutic interventions. The second objective is to evaluate the inadvertent effects of routinely prescribed medications, including antibiotics on the patient’s immune system, with a view to personalised prescribing of routinely used drugs, or use of immunomodulatory therapies to ameliorate drug- induced immune dysfunction in sepsis.REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0159
Date of REC Opinion
7 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion