Measuring neutrophil function in sepsis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The whole blood phagocytosis assay: a near patient test to promote a personalised approach to immunomodulatory therapy
IRAS ID
190936
Contact name
Ben Morton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 28 days
Research summary
Our laboratory has developed a promising new test that measures immune function in patients with severe infection. This test looks at the ability of neutrophils (white blood cells) to ingest and kill bacteria, a key determinant of the ability to fight infection. This has been developed as a 'near patient test' with a rapid turnaround such that a doctor could order the test and have the results within four hours. Our work to date has demonstrated that a poor response to neutrophil stimulation in the laboratory associates with decreased patient survival.
The aims of this study are to further refine, standardise and simplify this assay as a precursor to a larger study to fully evaluate the test in a large scale trial. We will refine each component of the assay, developing quality control methods for the production of essential constituents of the test and systematically examining our establised protocol within the laboratory to identify any improvements. This project can be broken down into two key stages:
1) Test refined in healthy volunteers - we will recruit healthy volunteers and take blood samples to systematically evaluate and refine our current standard operating procedure for the test. The aims of this work will be to develop quality control methods and identify key constituent steps to standardise the test.
2) Refined test evaluated in patients. We will recruit hospital patients admitted with pneumonia (most common cause of sepsis) to hospital. Further we will recruit patients with severe infection (admitted to critical care) and moderate infection (admitted to respiratory wards). In addition we will recruit aged matched control patients from hospital clinics without acute infection.
Our overall aim is to develop a test to reliably measure immune function that has clinically utility. Such a test could guide administration of drugs to stimulate or dampen immune response in infection.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0869
Date of REC Opinion
7 Dec 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion