$2.2m grant to support AI driven sepsis program for pediatric care Children's National

Researchers at Children's National Hospital are investigating pediatric sepsis, a leading cause of in-hospital death, particularly in underserved and minoritized populations.

A new Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) (R35) is granting over $2.2 million to Children's National to establish a comprehensive sepsis program that will include a diagnostic artificial intelligence (AI) based, biomarker-enhanced platform for early recognition of pediatric sepsis and cutting-edge, extracellular vesicle-based therapeutics that can significantly decrease mortality and long-term disease sequelae.

MIRA provides support for research in an investigator's laboratory that falls within the mission of The National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Why it matters

Sepsis, defined as a rapidly progressive, is a life-threatening organ dysfunction (OD) due to an immune dysregulation as a response to infection. In the U.S., it results in over 75,000 pediatric admissions on an annual basis with an associated mortality rate of 5 to 20%.

"Sepsis has been linked to 20% of deaths worldwide and despite some recent advances in diagnostic tools, the lack of accurate definitions and heterogeneity of this clinical syndrome have led to delays in recognition and treatment with deleterious effects on the health of millions of children, especially those from minority groups," says Ioannis Koutroulis, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., research director of Emergency Medicine at Children's National. "Additionally, current sepsis therapeutic regimens are mostly supportive, lack the necessary personalization and fail to address the underlying physiological processes leading to sepsis-induced life threating organ failure."

How does it move the field forward

High mortality rates and no significant new treatments in recent years due to sepsis presents a critical opportunity to make a global impact. Advancements in early recognition and intervention could save millions of lives. By utilizing AI and biomarkers for the early detection of sepsis in children, medical professionals could have the potential to greatly improve outcomes by enabling timely treatment.

"There is an urgent need to focus more attention on this condition and develop effective solutions to combat its devastating effects," Dr. Koutroulis adds.

How we're leading the way

The high-volume pediatric emergency room will serve as a crucial site for recruiting patients. With access to state-of-the-art laboratories, the research will be conducted in facilities equipped with cutting-edge technology, ensuring accurate and efficient analysis. This combination of a high patient volume and advanced research infrastructure will enable the program to deliver reliable results and make significant strides in the fight against pediatric sepsis.

"This grant will allow for early recognition of pediatric sepsis and treatment with an innovative approach using extracellular vesicle-based therapies that can directly affect immune and metabolic processes," Dr. Koutroulis said.

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