VAMp-Sepsis

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Validation of molecular and protein biomarkers in sepsis

• IRAS ID

  269360

• Contact name

  Tamas Szakmany

• Contact email

  szakmanyt1@cardiff.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  UKHSA

• Duration of Study in the UK

  3 years, 5 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Background:
  Sepsis (blood poisoning) is a clinical syndrome characterised by a dysregulated host response to infection causing life-threatening organ dysfunction which results in admission to an intensive care unit. It typically shows an initial harmful inflammation resulting from the immune system's overreaction to a severe infection. It is a major healthcare problem, affecting millions of people worldwide. In the UK, it kills over 37,000 people/year, costing the NHS £2.5 billion a year, and is increasing in incidence. Despite extensive efforts to tackle this burden, at present, however, there are no specific and effective therapies for this illness.

  Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by a severe infection. When someone develops sepsis, inflammation occurs not just at the site of the infection but throughout the whole body. This widespread inflammation can be very harmful. We know that similar responses occur in other conditions, not relating to infection.

  We are recruiting patients with severe infections causing organ failure (also known as severe sepsis/ septicaemia and septic shock) and also patients where widespread inflammation, not related to infection, causes organ failure. In this study we hope to find out whether certain groups of genetic and blood based protein markers of sepsis can forewarn the clinicians to this condition and also highlight patients who are responding well to the treatment.
  Although we know that the majority of the patients suffering from sepsis will survive their ICU stay and leave the hospital alive, we don’t know how these patients do on a longer term, i.e. after some time at home. To date we have very little information on the ability of the observed genetic and blood based protein markers to predict the functional status of the patients surviving these conditions.

• REC name

  Wales REC 1

• REC reference

  19/WA/0214

• Date of REC Opinion

  10 Sep 2019

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion