SIPRES v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the impact of sepsis phenotypes on antibiotic treatment in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis
IRAS ID
336627
Contact name
Jan Hansel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 30 days
Research summary
Aim of the research: To understand why antibiotics work differently in certain patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis.
Background: Pneumonia can make people seriously unwell, sometimes needing hospital or intensive care unit (ICU) admission. It can progress to sepsis, a life-threatening condition without prompt treatment. In the UK, around 30,000 people die from pneumonia each year. Severe pneumonia is treated with intravenous antibiotics, which enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body to fight infection. These antibiotics are later broken down and cleared by the kidneys and other organs. However, they do not work the same way in every patient. This may be due to differences in how antibiotics move through and leave the body, affecting blood levels at any given time. Low antibiotic levels may result in poor outcomes and antibiotic resistance. Patients also differ in how their immune systems respond to infection. The SIPRES Study will explore whether these immune response patterns explain differences in antibiotic levels in patients with severe pneumonia and sepsis.
Procedures: We will study how adult patients with severe pneumonia respond to piperacillin/tazobactam, the most commonly used ICU antibiotic. Alongside information on recovery and hospital stay, we will collect blood samples at two time points to measure antibiotic levels and assess immune responses. This will help us group patients by their immune system reaction and describe differences in antibiotic levels using mathematical models.
Patient involvement: Patients have shaped the funding application, protocol, and identified key study outcomes. They recognise the need for more precise antibiotic treatment strategies.
Potential impact: The study will help identify patients at risk of low antibiotic levels, poorer recovery, and antibiotic resistance. It will support the development of models to personalise antibiotic dosing in critically ill patients, potentially improving survival, speeding recovery, and using resources more efficiently.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NW/0174
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jun 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion