Modulation of Molecular Fingerprinting in Pediatric Sepsis

November 7, 2025 updated by: Phoenix Children's Hospital
The goal of this study is to demonstrate the sensitivity and specificity of detecting circulating micro RNA (miRNA) biomarkers in pediatric septic patients. It will also follow expression and modulation of levels in response to therapy in comparison to current biomarkers.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study will aid in the evaluation of determining the accuracy of these miRNAs in pediatric patients and help in establishing pilot data for additional studies in the future. The testing will include blood samples, urine samples and buccal swabs from patients who meet eligibility at 5 time points to analyze biomarkers. Study participants will receive standard of care with antimicrobials and any additional appropriate cardiovascular or respiratory support per the clinical team. The samples will collected and stored at -80 until analysis can be performed. In addition to, during the course of the hospitalization, the enrolled patient will have data collected to calculate severity scores, including updated Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM III) scores and simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System(TISS-28) scores. All patient information will be de-identified. A standard procedure manual will be developed detailing the methods for data collection and entry. Data will be recorded in a de-identified manner on a Microsoft Excel database on a secure institutional server by the institutional staff. Data will then be analyzed to determine correlation of biomarkers to morbidity and mortality for these patients.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

1 year to 18 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children ages 1-18 who are Immune-competent (no previous chronic medical conditions) patients being admitted to the PICU at PCH with concerns for sepsis or those developing sepsis during their admission to the hospital who require care in the PICU.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 1 through 18 years
  • Patients admitted to the PICU with concerns for sepsis or those developing sepsis during their admission to the hospital.
  • Patients must be enrolled int he study from arrival time tot he ED up to 24 hours from the time of initiation of antibiotic therapy for treatment of sepsis or septic shock.
  • Signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients <1 year of age and greater than 18 years of age.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
10 Patients with sepsis or septic shock
Previously healthy, non-immunocompromised patients, between the ages of 1 and 18, who are being admitted to the PCH PICU for sepsis or septic shock, will be enrolled. Blood samples, urine samples and buccal swabs will be obtained from these patients at 5 time points to analyze biomarkers. Study participants will receive standard of care with antimicrobials and any additional appropriate cardiovascular or respiratory support per the clinical team. The samples will collected and stored at -80 until analysis can be performed. In addition to, during the course of the hospitalization, the enrolled patient will have data collected to calculate severity scores, including PRISM scores and TISS-28 scores. All patient information will be de-identified. A standard procedure manual will be developed detailing the methods for data collection and entry.
Procedure: miRNA in Sepsis
miRNA in Sepsis
50 Healthy Patients
Healthy non-immunocompromised patients between 1-18 years old

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Risk of Mortality
Time Frame: Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks
Will compare PRISM 3 scores from baseline to hospital discharge.
Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Organ Failure
Time Frame: Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks
Will compare sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores throughout hospitalization.
Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks
Organ Dysfunction
Time Frame: Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks
Will compare pediatric multiple organ dysfunction scores (PMODS) throughout hospitalization
Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks
Patient acuity
Time Frame: Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks
Will assess TISS-28 scores throughout hospitalization.
Duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 3 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Phoenix Children's Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Frederick A Willyerd, MD, Phoenix Children's Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 27, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 3, 2014

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 4, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 12, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 7, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • PHNX-biosep-12159

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

Principal investigator is undecided if he plans on having a DTA or MTA.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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