Immune Cell Metabolism in Intensive Care (METABOLIC)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Immune Cell Metabolism in Intensive Care (METABOLIC)
IRAS ID
318032
Contact name
Linda Wooldridge
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by a severe infection. In someone with sepsis, inflammation occurs throughout the whole body and this can be very harmful.
We are recruiting a number of patients with sepsis as well as those who are critically ill without an infectious cause, in whom we will study their immune response.
The study will look in detail at immune cells that are key drivers of the response to infection. There is increasing evidence that the immune system functions differently in patients with severe sepsis and critical illness and there is a suggestion that part of the immune system is suppressed, affecting the ability of the individual to recover from the original insult as well as respond to new infections.We will undertake a detailed analysis of immune cells from patients with sepsis and non-septic critical illness to characterise their function as well as look at how they respond in different conditions to see whether any impaired function is related to how they use nutrients or the amount of nutrients that are available.
All of these analyses will take place on blood samples from critically ill patients being cared for in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Up to around 90ml (around six tablespoonfuls) of blood will be taken over the course of 4 weeks, a very small amount in comparison to that taken routinely for tests in the ICU. Sampling will be done from existing indwelling lines so extra needles will largely not be needed – any discomfort will be very mild and transient if any at all. The planned experiments might lead to new treatments and tests that will help patients in the future.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0678
Date of REC Opinion
25 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion