Boosting the immune system to help people survive sepsis
Enhancing Innate and Adaptive Immunity to Improve Sepsis Survival
This project works on treatments to strengthen the immune system in people with sepsis so they have a better chance of surviving the later, weakened phase after infection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11322539 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are hospitalized with sepsis, the team is developing and testing therapies intended to restore both the rapid (innate) and longer-lasting (adaptive) parts of your immune system. Researchers use lab studies, animal models, and early human trials and will track blood immune markers, look for reactivation of viruses like CMV, monitor infections and organ function, and record survival. The goal is to turn approaches that helped in animals and small human studies into treatments that can be given to patients in intensive care settings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults hospitalized with sepsis—especially older adults or those who show signs of prolonged immune suppression in the ICU—are the most likely candidates for participation.
Not a fit: People who only experience the early hyper-inflammatory phase of sepsis, or patients too unstable to receive immune-targeting therapies, may not benefit from these interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these approaches could reduce deaths from sepsis by helping patients control the original infection and avoid dangerous secondary infections during the immunosuppressed phase.
How similar studies have performed: Animal research and small phase II human trials have shown encouraging signals for immune-boosting approaches, but larger clinical trials are still needed to confirm benefit.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hotchkiss, Richard Samuel — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Hotchkiss, Richard Samuel
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.