Pediatric sepsis: finding vital-sign and blood signatures for faster diagnosis
Resubmission: Elucidating Pediatric Sepsis by Defining Comprehensive Signatures for Diagnosis and Outcome
This project looks for patterns in vital signs, immune tests, and blood RNA from children with suspected sepsis to help emergency doctors diagnose and treat them faster.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11146550 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child comes to the emergency department with a possible serious infection, researchers will collect initial vital signs, routine blood tests, immune measurements, and small blood samples for RNA analysis. They will also use a rapid nanorod PCR test to try to tell if the infection is bacterial or not. All of these data will be combined with bioinformatics to define a distinct ‘sepsis’ signature present when children first arrive. The aim is to develop faster, more accurate tools that can guide treatment decisions in the ED.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children aged 0–11 years who present to a participating emergency department with suspected sepsis or severe infection are the ideal participants.
Not a fit: Healthy children, those without suspected infection, or patients already fully diagnosed and treated elsewhere are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could let doctors diagnose sepsis sooner and choose the right antibiotics or supportive treatments earlier, reducing deaths and organ damage in children.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work has shown blood and gene-expression patterns can signal sepsis, but combining rapid nanorod PCR with physiologic and immune profiling for ED use is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mahajan, Prashant — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Mahajan, Prashant
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.