How sepsis changes body fat in children and how obesity affects that
Official title: Role of STAT3 in sepsis-induced adipose tissue browning and the impact of obesity
Funded at Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11163921 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how sepsis changes the type and behavior of fat in children and whether being obese changes those fat responses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | September 25, 2017 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $677,565 |
| NIH project number | 2R01GM126551-06A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163921 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children hospitalized with sepsis, including both obese and non-obese patients who can provide consent/assent and allow collection of tissue or blood samples, would be the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
People without sepsis, children not treated at participating centers, or those unwilling/unable to provide samples would not be able to take part or directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If your child is hospitalized with sepsis, researchers will compare fat tissue from children with and without obesity to see whether white fat switches to beige/brown fat (a process called browning) and how that relates to inflammation and new blood vessel growth. The team will measure signaling molecules such as STAT3 and other markers in tissue samples and blood, using lab tests to link findings to prior mouse experiments. By comparing obese and non-obese children, they aim to understand whether obesity changes how fat responds during critical illness and whether those changes relate to recovery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could explain why obesity sometimes appears protective in critical illness and point to ways to protect children with sepsis.
How similar studies have gone: Mouse studies from the investigators' lab showed sepsis causes white fat browning linked to inflammation, but studying this process in children is a new, translational step.
Where this research is happening
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Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kaplan, Jennifer Melissa — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Kaplan, Jennifer Melissa
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Exploring how tiny inflammatory vesicles link obesity and worse sepsis outcomes
A disease-focused research effort looks at tiny body messengers released with obesity to see if they worsen sepsis outcomes.
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Why obesity may protect people during sepsis
Researchers are comparing immune responses and cell metabolism in obese and non-obese patients with sepsis to understand why obesity appears linked to better survival.
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How obesity may help protect against sepsis
This study is looking into how being overweight might actually help some people with sepsis, a serious illness, by understanding how it affects their immune system and metabolism, with the goal of finding new treatments to make sepsis safer for everyone.
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Understanding how fats in the body may help obese patients survive sepsis better
This study is looking into how being overweight might actually help people with sepsis, a serious infection, survive better, and it will check if certain fat levels in the body play a role in this, as well as how cholesterol-lowering medications might change things.
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Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
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Role of blood flow mechanics and transfusion in sepsis-related tiny-cl vessel clots
A patient-focused look at how red blood cell flow and transfusions might influence tiny blood vessel clots and organ problems in sepsis.
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.