NCT01905033

Brief Summary

Background: Sepsis is a major cause of in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Current tools available to the clinician to initiate therapy of patients with sepsis mainly comprise of symptom classification systems and culture techniques, which provide aspecific and slow information. Objective: The ultimate goal of this program is to assist the physician at the bedside in tailoring the treatment of an individual patient suffering from sepsis by generating rapid molecular information about the causative pathogen and the host response. Deliverables: Rapid tests ("sample-in-result-out") that can be used by health care personnel at or close to the bedside and that provide rapid information (within two hours) about the presence or absence of sepsis, the causative pathogen and the risk of the individual patient for sepsis complications and death. Design: The program is organized into four Work Packages (WPs) along a clinical, discovery and technology platform. In WP1 two university hospitals will enroll 7500 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit during the first 3 years of the project; 25% - 40% of these patients will have or will develop sepsis. In WP2 (Pathogen Detection), blood obtained from these patients will be used to develop rapid, fully automated DNA-based bedside tests that identify microorganisms and also provide information about their resistance to antibiotics. In WP3 (Host Response), RNA from blood cells will be analyzed to find novel biomarkers and to develop rapid and easy to perform tests that provide information about the risk profile of the patient. In addition, plasma levels of selected protein biomarkers will be measured for comparison of their value with that of the identified leukocyte molecular signatures. WP4 is responsible for the ICT management of the project. The Clinical Platform (covered by WP1 and WP4) delivers patient data and biological samples to the discovery and technology platforms. The Discovery Platform (covered by WP2 and WP3) uses patient data and biological samples to develop tests for detection of the infectious agent causing sepsis and for stratification of patients according to their risk for sepsis complications, including death. The results generated within the discovery platform will be delivered to the technology platform. The Technology Platform (part of WP2 and WP3) has the specific aim to develop rapid assays that run on a fully automated (micro)fluidics platform that is so easy to operate that it can be used in decentralized settings such as (close to) the ICU. The developed assays will make use of the knowledge generated in the discovery platform.

Trial Health

43
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Enrollment
7,500

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for all trials

Timeline
Completed

Started Jan 2011

Longer than P75 for all trials

Geographic Reach
1 country

2 active sites

Status
unknown

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 1, 2011

Completed
2.5 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 11, 2013

Completed
12 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 23, 2013

Completed
4.9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2018

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2018

Completed
Last Updated

April 29, 2016

Status Verified

April 1, 2016

Enrollment Period

7.4 years

First QC Date

July 11, 2013

Last Update Submit

April 28, 2016

Conditions

Keywords

SepsisPneumoniaPeritonitisBiomarkersTranscriptomicsPathogen detection

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Molecular information about causative pathogens and the host response in patients with sepsis

    One year

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Stratification of septic patients by severity and type of immune response to infection

    Five years

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
Sampling MethodProbability Sample
Study Population

In 3-4 years all patients\> 18 years in the Intensive Care Units of the AMC Amsterdam and UMC Utrecht will be included in the study with the exemption of elective cardiac surgery patients with an uncomplicated stay.

You may qualify if:

  • All patients\> 18 years in the Intensive Care Units of the AMC Amsterdam and UMC Utrecht.

You may not qualify if:

  • Elective cardiac surgery patients with an uncomplicated stay.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (2)

Academic Medical Center

Amsterdam, North Holland, 1105 AZ, Netherlands

COMPLETED

University Medical Center Utrecht

Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584 CX, Netherlands

RECRUITING

Related Publications (22)

  • Scicluna BP, Cano-Gamez K, Burnham KL, Davenport EE, Moore AR, Khan S, Hinds CJ, Cremer OL, Khatri P, Sweeney TE, Knight JC, van der Poll T. A consensus blood transcriptomic framework for sepsis. Nat Med. 2025 Dec;31(12):4119-4130. doi: 10.1038/s41591-025-03964-5. Epub 2025 Sep 30.

  • Filippini DFL, Jiang M, Kramer L, van der Poll T, Cremer O, Hla TTW, Retter A, Bos LDJ; MARS consortium. Plasma H3.1 nucleosomes as biomarkers of infection, inflammation and organ failure. Crit Care. 2025 May 19;29(1):198. doi: 10.1186/s13054-025-05415-6.

  • Brands X, Uhel F, van Vught LA, Wiewel MA, Hoogendijk AJ, Lutter R, Schultz MJ, Scicluna BP, van der Poll T. Immune suppression is associated with enhanced systemic inflammatory, endothelial and procoagulant responses in critically ill patients. PLoS One. 2022 Jul 25;17(7):e0271637. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271637. eCollection 2022.

  • Peters-Sengers H, Butler JM, Uhel F, Schultz MJ, Bonten MJ, Cremer OL, Scicluna BP, van Vught LA, van der Poll T; MARS consortium. Source-specific host response and outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis: a prospective cohort study. Intensive Care Med. 2022 Jan;48(1):92-102. doi: 10.1007/s00134-021-06574-0. Epub 2021 Dec 13.

  • Frencken JF, van Smeden M, van de Groep K, Ong DSY, Klein Klouwenberg PMC, Juffermans N, Bonten MJM, van der Poll T, Cremer OL; MARS Consortium. Etiology of Myocardial Injury in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis: A Cohort Study. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2022 May;19(5):773-780. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202106-689OC.

  • Pereverzeva L, Uhel F, Peters Sengers H, Cremer OL, Schultz MJ, Bonten MMJ, Scicluna BP, van der Poll T; MARS consortium. Association between delay in intensive care unit admission and the host response in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Ann Intensive Care. 2021 Sep 28;11(1):142. doi: 10.1186/s13613-021-00930-5.

  • Brands X, de Vries FMC, Uhel F, Haak BW, Peters-Sengers H, Schuurman AR, van Engelen TSR, Lutter R, Cremer OL, Bonten MJ, Schultz MJ, Scicluna BP, van der Poll T; MARS Consortium. Plasma Ferritin as Marker of Macrophage Activation-Like Syndrome in Critically Ill Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Crit Care Med. 2021 Nov 1;49(11):1901-1911. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000005072.

  • Simonis FD, Schouten LRA, Cremer OL, Ong DSY, Amoruso G, Cinella G, Schultz MJ, Bos LD; MARS consortium. Prognostic classification based on P/F and PEEP in invasively ventilated ICU patients with hypoxemia-insights from the MARS study. Intensive Care Med Exp. 2020 Dec 18;8(Suppl 1):43. doi: 10.1186/s40635-020-00334-y.

  • Uhel F, Peters-Sengers H, Falahi F, Scicluna BP, van Vught LA, Bonten MJ, Cremer OL, Schultz MJ, van der Poll T; MARS consortium. Mortality and host response aberrations associated with transient and persistent acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with sepsis: a prospective cohort study. Intensive Care Med. 2020 Aug;46(8):1576-1589. doi: 10.1007/s00134-020-06119-x. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

  • Klein Klouwenberg PMC, Spitoni C, van der Poll T, Bonten MJ, Cremer OL; MARS consortium. Predicting the clinical trajectory in critically ill patients with sepsis: a cohort study. Crit Care. 2019 Dec 12;23(1):408. doi: 10.1186/s13054-019-2687-z.

  • Schouten LRA, Bos LDJ, Serpa Neto A, van Vught LA, Wiewel MA, Hoogendijk AJ, Bonten MJM, Cremer OL, Horn J, van der Poll T, Schultz MJ, Wosten-van Asperen RM; MARS consortium. Increased mortality in elderly patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome is not explained by host response. Intensive Care Med Exp. 2019 Oct 29;7(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s40635-019-0270-1.

  • Verboom DM, Frencken JF, Ong DSY, Horn J, van der Poll T, Bonten MJM, Cremer OL, Klein Klouwenberg PMC. Robustness of sepsis-3 criteria in critically ill patients. J Intensive Care. 2019 Aug 29;7:46. doi: 10.1186/s40560-019-0400-6. eCollection 2019.

  • Frencken JF, van Baal L, Kappen TH, Donker DW, Horn J, van der Poll T, van Klei WA, Bonten MJM, Cremer OL; Members of the MARS Consortium. Myocardial Injury in Critically Ill Patients with Community-acquired Pneumonia. A Cohort Study. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019 May;16(5):606-612. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201804-286OC.

  • Miller RR 3rd, Lopansri BK, Burke JP, Levy M, Opal S, Rothman RE, D'Alessio FR, Sidhaye VK, Aggarwal NR, Balk R, Greenberg JA, Yoder M, Patel G, Gilbert E, Afshar M, Parada JP, Martin GS, Esper AM, Kempker JA, Narasimhan M, Tsegaye A, Hahn S, Mayo P, van der Poll T, Schultz MJ, Scicluna BP, Klein Klouwenberg P, Rapisarda A, Seldon TA, McHugh LC, Yager TD, Cermelli S, Sampson D, Rothwell V, Newman R, Bhide S, Fox BA, Kirk JT, Navalkar K, Davis RF, Brandon RA, Brandon RB. Validation of a Host Response Assay, SeptiCyte LAB, for Discriminating Sepsis from Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in the ICU. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 Oct 1;198(7):903-913. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201712-2472OC.

  • Cranendonk DR, van Vught LA, Wiewel MA, Cremer OL, Horn J, Bonten MJ, Schultz MJ, van der Poll T, Wiersinga WJ. Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Cellulitis Requiring Intensive Care. JAMA Dermatol. 2017 Jun 1;153(6):578-582. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.0159.

  • Ong DSY, Bonten MJM, Spitoni C, Verduyn Lunel FM, Frencken JF, Horn J, Schultz MJ, van der Poll T, Klein Klouwenberg PMC, Cremer OL; Molecular Diagnosis and Risk Stratification of Sepsis Consortium. Epidemiology of Multiple Herpes Viremia in Previously Immunocompetent Patients With Septic Shock. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 May 1;64(9):1204-1210. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix120.

  • Wiewel MA, Harmon MB, van Vught LA, Scicluna BP, Hoogendijk AJ, Horn J, Zwinderman AH, Cremer OL, Bonten MJ, Schultz MJ, van der Poll T, Juffermans NP, Wiersinga WJ. Risk factors, host response and outcome of hypothermic sepsis. Crit Care. 2016 Oct 14;20(1):328. doi: 10.1186/s13054-016-1510-3.

  • Klein Klouwenberg PM, Frencken JF, Kuipers S, Ong DS, Peelen LM, van Vught LA, Schultz MJ, van der Poll T, Bonten MJ, Cremer OL; MARS Consortium *. Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis. A Cohort Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 Jan 15;195(2):205-211. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201603-0618OC.

  • McHugh L, Seldon TA, Brandon RA, Kirk JT, Rapisarda A, Sutherland AJ, Presneill JJ, Venter DJ, Lipman J, Thomas MR, Klein Klouwenberg PM, van Vught L, Scicluna B, Bonten M, Cremer OL, Schultz MJ, van der Poll T, Yager TD, Brandon RB. A Molecular Host Response Assay to Discriminate Between Sepsis and Infection-Negative Systemic Inflammation in Critically Ill Patients: Discovery and Validation in Independent Cohorts. PLoS Med. 2015 Dec 8;12(12):e1001916. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001916. eCollection 2015 Dec.

  • Klein Klouwenberg PM, Cremer OL, van Vught LA, Ong DS, Frencken JF, Schultz MJ, Bonten MJ, van der Poll T. Likelihood of infection in patients with presumed sepsis at the time of intensive care unit admission: a cohort study. Crit Care. 2015 Sep 7;19(1):319. doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-1035-1.

  • Scicluna BP, Klein Klouwenberg PM, van Vught LA, Wiewel MA, Ong DS, Zwinderman AH, Franitza M, Toliat MR, Nurnberg P, Hoogendijk AJ, Horn J, Cremer OL, Schultz MJ, Bonten MJ, van der Poll T. A molecular biomarker to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia on intensive care unit admission. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015 Oct 1;192(7):826-35. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201502-0355OC.

  • Klein Klouwenberg PM, Zaal IJ, Spitoni C, Ong DS, van der Kooi AW, Bonten MJ, Slooter AJ, Cremer OL. The attributable mortality of delirium in critically ill patients: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2014 Nov 24;349:g6652. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g6652.

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

Whole blood, plasma, RNA, DNA.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

SepsisPneumoniaPeritonitis

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

InfectionsSystemic Inflammatory Response SyndromeInflammationPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsRespiratory Tract InfectionsLung DiseasesRespiratory Tract DiseasesIntraabdominal InfectionsPeritoneal DiseasesDigestive System Diseases

Study Officials

  • Tom van der Poll, Prof.

    Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Tom van der Poll, Prof.

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
COHORT
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Target Duration
1 Year
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Prof. dr. T. van der Poll

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 11, 2013

First Posted

July 23, 2013

Study Start

January 1, 2011

Primary Completion

June 1, 2018

Study Completion

June 1, 2018

Last Updated

April 29, 2016

Record last verified: 2016-04

Locations