Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded a $163,825 Project Grant to the University of Colorado-Denver, effective June 2, 2026, through May 31, 2031, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865). The project addresses pediatric septic shock treatment outcomes through development of trajectory-based phenotype (TBP) models and targeted intervention strategies. The research will deliver three primary products: (1) validated TBP classifications for pediatric septic shock patients derived from both static patient factors and dynamic physiological changes; (2) a real-time predictive model that assigns patients to identified phenotypes using data from the point of shock diagnosis; and (3) queryable outcome prediction models that estimate optimal resuscitation treatment sequences based on individual patient physiology and prior outcomes, stratified by identified phenotypes.

The research aims to advance treatment personalization in pediatric sepsis care through multiple target trial emulations testing various resuscitation strategies and their effects on clinical outcomes such as shock-free hours. By developing phenotype-specific treatment recommendations, this project addresses the significant global burden of pediatric sepsis, which causes approximately 3 million childhood deaths annually with substantial disability among survivors. The deliverables will provide evidence-based tools enabling clinicians to tailor resuscitation approaches to patient-specific phenotypes rather than applying uniform treatment protocols across all pediatric septic shock patients.