TIPS is a project on personalised medicine for improved understanding and management of paediatric severe inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS, which can affect children without predisposing factors is a life-threatening event due to an uncontrolled activation of the immune system as a results of, often, unknown triggers. For the majority of patients, acute management of SIRS is based on clinical features and routine laboratory parameters without distinct stratification, demonstrating the need for better and precise diagnostics.
We aim to generate personalised immune profiling and to identify diagnostic patterns in order to develop individualized therapies to improve patient outcome. In this transnational endeavour, we will integrate consideration of ethico-legal aspects of patient safety and data protection.
TIPS is designed as a multicenter study linking five institutions from four European countries. Clinicians and scientists work closely together in this interdisciplinary project, covering all disciplines relevant to children's health and development from the fields of medicine, life sciences, ethics and computer science.
Dresden (Germany)
The University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden is one of the leading healthcare institutions in Germany with a large catchment area beyond Eastern Saxony. As part of the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) - “University of Excellence” since 2012 - it is committed to highest standards in applied medicine, medical research and teaching.
At the Children’s Hospital we offer state-of-the-art diagnostics and therapeutics, providing care for infants, children, and adolescents with congenital and acquired diseases. In addition, the close connection between patient care and research enables a wide range of clinical and basic research.
The Dresden team is the coordinator of the European multicentric TIPS study and responsible for organizing and coaching all partners. Additionally, we provide samples and clinical data of SIRS patients beyond the project period. In conjunction with Helsinki, Dresden will lead the immune phenotyping (ImmunOMICs) and lipid profiling (LipidOMICs) of the acquired samples.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. med. Catharina Schütz
Department of Pediatrics
Pediatric Immunology
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus
Technische Universität Dresden (TUD)
Fetscherstraße 74
01307 Dresden
Germany
Members:
Prof. Dr. med. Sebastian Brenner
Dr. rer. nat. Sebastian Thieme
Dr. rer. nat. Ralf Wiedemuth
Sissi Lina Fritsch (project coordination)
Helsinki (Finland)
HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science is one of the leading life science research institutes in the Nordics. It fosters outstanding research and generation of innovations across the University of Helsinki campuses to create an attractive international environment where today’s grand challenges in health are solved.
The Pediatric Research Center is the Finland’s largest research community for pediatric diseases, located in Helsinki. Our research groups are affiliated in the largest Faculty of Medicine in Finland, the largest children’s hospital in the Nordic countries and several other research institutes located in the area. Our research comprises of basic, clinical and translational research. The research data we generate can be refined to be used when treating patients. On the other hand, we use patient samples in the investigation of disease mechanisms and diagnoses.
As a part of this multicentric, international study, the Helsinki team will provide clinical data and collect up samples from pediatric SIRS patients, particularly from those with an underlying autoinflammatory disease. Helsinki team also leads two work packages; the proteome analysis (ProteOMICs); and gene expression profiling (TranscriptOMICs); as well as is the other partner in immunoprofiling (ImmunOMICs).
Contact:
Res. Dir. Dr. Markku Varjosalo
University of Helsinki, HiLIFE – Helsinki Institute of Life Science
Institute of Biotechnology
Biocenter 3
Viikinkaari 1, P.O.Box 65
FI-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland
Members:
Docent Kristiina Aalto (MD, PhD)
Heli Salmi (MD, PhD)
Docent Mikko Seppänen (MD, PhD)
Istanbul (Turkey)
The Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department for Paediatric Rheumatology is one of the main referral centres for paediatric rheumatology in Turkey. A significant number of patients with autoinflammatory conditions, including Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) as the most common autoinflammatory entity, places this centre in leading position in the field of autoinflammation. As a part of this multicentric, international study, Istanbul team will provide clinical data and collect up samples from paediatric SIRS patients, particularly from those with an underlying autoinflammatory disease. Consequently, project partners from Istanbul will have the lead for the clinical assessment and translation of study results. Additionally, Istanbul will be responsible for organising the genome sequencing (GenOMICs), to be undertaken by a subcontractor.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Ozgur Kasapcopur
Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical School
Department of Pediatric Rheumatology
Kocamustafapaşa Cd. No: 53 Cerrahpaşa
34098 Fatih/İstanbul
Turkey
Members:
Assoc. Prof. Sezgin Sahin
Assoc. Prof. Fatih Aygun
Assoc. Prof. Amra Adrovic
Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
The Luxembourgish party is inovolved in the bioinformatics analysis of the generated multiomics data. A novel multiomics-based computational pipeline for patient classification will be developed based on the data generated. First, we aim to identify novel diagnostic patterns/biomarkers that match clinical findings. Then, we will identify accurate predictors for the three major patient groups (groups 1, 2 & 3). Next, a computational algorithm for predicting the clinical outcome of patients will be developed. We also aim to refine this model by including interaction terms for the three groups, 1-like, 2-like, and 3-like. Finally, the model will be validated in a follow-up cohort. Overall, the proposed computational pipeline will enable us to design a composite scoring system to be used by treating physicians, which will aid in future clinical trials of new treatment regimen, such as patient group-adapted treatment intensity versus historical treatment options.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Antonio del Sol
Biotech II (BT2)
University of Luxembourg
Campus Belval
6, avenue du Swing
L-4367 Belvaux
Luxembourg
Member:
Dr. Tejaswi Venkata Satya Badam
Ulm (Germany)
Generating multiOMICs data in paediatric patients raises ethical and legal concerns. Therefore, the aim of the ethical part of the project is to thoroughly study children as vulnerable subjects of research in general, appraise risk-benefit for study participants, debate the responsible use of personal information and data, patient information and informed consent, and deal with challenges posed by different national and regional regulatory frameworks.
The research on ethico-legal aspects will be conducted at Ulm University during the whole duration of the project, parallel to the steps implemented at other research institutes participating in the consortium.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Florian Steger
Ulm University
Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine
Barbara Mez-Starck-Haus
Oberberghof 7
D-89081 Ulm
Germany
Members:
Paul Thiemicke, M.mel.
Prof. (MU-Pleven) Dr. Silviya Aleksandrova-Yankulovska, MAS, PhD, DSc (MU-Pleven)
PD Dr. Marcin Orzechowski
Partner
Heinrich-Heine-University Hospital
Department of Pediatrics
Moorenstr. 5
40225 Düsseldorf
University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf
Department of Pediatrics
Martinistr. 52
20246 Hamburg
Essen University Hospital
Department of Pediatics
Infectious Diseases
Hufelandstr. 55
45122 Essen
Jena University Hospital
Department of Pediatrics
Bachstrasse 18
D-07743 Jena
Department of Pediatrics
Tübingen University Hospital
Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 1
72076 Tübingen
University Hospital Bremen Mitte
Department of Pediatrics
Eltern-Kind-Zentrum Prof. Hess
St.-Jürgen-Str. 1
28177 Bremen
University Hospital Frankfurt
Department of Pediatrics
Theodor-Stern-Kai 7
60590 Frankfurt
University Hospital Erlangen
Department of Pediatics
Loschgestr. 15
91054 Erlangen
University Hospital Bonn
Department of Pediatrics
Venusberg-Campus 1
53127 Bonn
Asklepios Klinik Barmbek
Department of Pediatrics
Rübenkamp 220
22307 Hamburg
Funding
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