Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT02577731

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Dysfunction in the Elderly After Severe Injury

Traumatic injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in young adults, and remains a substantial economic and health care burden. Despite decades of promising preclinical and clinical investigations in trauma, investigators understanding of these entities is still incomplete, and few therapies have shown success. During severe trauma, bone marrow granulocyte stores are rapidly released into the peripheral circulation. This release subsequently induces the expansion and repopulation of empty or evacuated space by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Although the patient experiences an early loss of bone marrow myeloid-derived cells, stem cell expansion is largely skewed towards the repopulation of the myeloid lineage/compartment. The hypothesis is that this 'emergency myelopoiesis' is critical for the survival of the severely traumatized and further, failure of the emergency myelopoietic response is associated with global immunosuppression and susceptibility to secondary infection. Also, identifying the release of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the circulation of human severe trauma subjects. This process is driven by HSCs in the bone marrow of trauma subjects. Additionally, MDSCs may have a profound effect on the nutritional status of the host. The appearance of these MDSCs after trauma is associated with a loss of muscle tissue in these subjects. This muscle loss and possible increased catabolism have huge effects on long term outcomes for these subjects. It is the investigator's goal to understand the differences that occur in these in HSCs and muscle cells as opposed to non-injured and non-infected controls. This work will lead to a better understanding of the myelopoietic and catabolic response following trauma.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Trauma Injury Accidental Injuries Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UF Health Shands Hospital at the University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida, 32610, United States

Location status: Recruiting

About this study

This is a prospective study to understand how trauma injuries changes the hematopoeitic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow and muscle cells after trauma injury in elderly subjects is different when compared to non-injured subjects.

There will be three groups for this study: 1) Elective hip surgery subjects, 2) Trauma subjects and 3) deidentified bone marrow of healthy controls.

Samples of bone marrow and a blood sample will be collected at the time of surgery. The deidentified bone marrow of healthy controls will come from a tissue bank.

The blood will be used to perform PB colony assays, ELISAs to test for the following parameters: EPO, G-CSF, Reticulocyte, iron levels and cytokines and inflammatory markers.

The bone marrow and blood samples will be processed and sorted to isolate hematopoeitic stem cells for genomic content to determine genomic expression, oxidative stress, mitochondrial activity, apoptosis, autophagy, analysis of circulating erythroid progenitor cells, reticulocytes, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor assays, erythropoietin and iron levels.

Clinical data and hemodynamic measurements will be collected daily while subjects are hospitalized and trauma surgery subjects will be followed to evaluate for malunion and subsequent additional surgical procedures for repair.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Severe Trauma Population

Inclusion criteria

will be:

  • All adults (age ≥18 to 54)
  • Blunt and/or penetrating trauma resulting in long bone or pelvic fractures requiring ORIF or closed reduction percutaneous pinning (CRPP).
  • Blunt and/or penetrating trauma patient with either:
  • hemorrhagic shock defined by: i. systolic BP (SBP) ≤ 90 mmHg or ii. mean arterial pressure≤ 65 mmHg or iii. base deficit (BD) ≥ 5 meq or iv. lactate ≥ 2
  • Or injury severity score (ISS) greater than or equal to 15.
  • All adults (age 55 and older) require:
  • Blunt and/or penetrating trauma resulting in log bone or pelvic fractures requiring ORIF or CRPP
  • Either hemorrhagic shock defined by: i. Systolic BP (SBP) ≤ 90 mmHg or ii. Mean arterial pressure ≤ 65 mmHg or iii. Base deficit (BD) ≥5 meq or iv. Lactate ≥ 2
  • Or Injury Severity Score (ISS) greater than or equal to 15.
  • Ability to obtain Informed Consent prior to OR repair of injury.

Exclusion criteria

will be:

  • Patients not expected to survive greater than 48 hours.
  • Prisoners.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Patients receiving chronic corticosteroids or immunosuppression therapies.
  • Previous bone marrow transplantation.
  • Patients with End Stage Renal Disease.
  • Patients with any pre-existing hematological disease.

Elective Hip Repair Population

Inclusion criteria

will be:

  • All adults (age ≥18)
  • Patient undergoing elective hip repair for non-infectious reasons.
  • Ability to obtain Informed Consent prior to operation.

Exclusion criteria

will be:

  • Pregnancy.
  • Prisoners.
  • Patients receiving chronic corticosteroids or immunosuppression therapies.
  • History of receiving Chemotherapy or Radiation within the last 6 months
  • Previous bone marrow transplantation
  • Patients with End Stage Renal Disease 8. Patients with any pre-existing hematological disease

Treatment and study plan

Bone marrow collection

Other

Bone marrow will be collected from the patient at time of orthopedic repair in the operating room. A second sample may be collected if the patient is required to return to the operating room for further repair of orthopedic injury.

Blood collection

Other

Blood sample collection will be collected from the patient at time of orthopedic repair in the operating room. A second sample may be collected if the patient is required to return to the operating room for further repair of orthopedic injury.

Clinical data collection

Other

Clinical data collection will encompass demographic information, past and present medical records, laboratory, microbiology, and all other test results, x-ray, CT, MRI, US and all other imaging test results, records about any medication received during admission, records of physical exam during admission, records of all vital signs and hemodynamic monitoring during admission, records of any procedure or intervention during admission, records of any procedure or intervention during hospital admission, condition at the discharge and discharge facility.

Primary outcomes

  1. Analyze the genomics response of hematopoietic cells between the groups

    Time frame: Baseline

    Through negative isolation columns and flow sorting to isolate the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from a sample for appropriate analysis. The sample will then be enriched using a lineage depletion column which will remove all mature hematopoietic cells. The HSCs will be phenotyped and sorted as CD34+ CD38- Thy1+ CD45RA-. HSCs will be lysed and the RNA genomic content will be isolated. The genomic content will then be processed onto a GeneChip® microarray to analyze the genomic expression.

  2. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups for oxidative stress

    Time frame: Baseline

  3. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups for mitochondrial activity

    Time frame: Baseline

  4. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups for apoptosis

    Time frame: Baseline

  5. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups for autophagy

    Time frame: Baseline

Secondary outcomes

  1. The pathophysiology of injury-associated persistent anemia through PB colony assays of blood.

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. The pathophysiology of injury-associated persistent anemia through ELISA test of blood.

    Time frame: Baseline

Other outcomes

  1. Analyze the genomics response of hematopoietic cells between the groups at additional follow-up surgery

    Time frame: Approximately 8 months

    Through negative isolation columns and flow sorting to isolate the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from a sample for appropriate analysis. The sample will then be enriched using a lineage depletion column which will remove all mature hematopoietic cells. The HSCs will be phenotyped and sorted as CD34+ CD38- Thy1+ CD45RA-. HSCs will be lysed and the RNA genomic content will be isolated. The genomic content will then be processed onto a GeneChip® microarray to analyze the genomic expression.

  2. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups at additional follow-up surgery for oxidative stress

    Time frame: Approximately 8 months

  3. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups at additional follow-up surgery for mitochondrial activity

    Time frame: Approximately 8 months

  4. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups at additional follow-up surgery for apoptosis

    Time frame: Approximately 8 months

  5. Analyze the muscle dysfunction between the groups at additional follow-up surgery for autophagy

    Time frame: Approximately 8 months

Interested in participating?

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Florida

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

Registry information

Official study title

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Dysfunction in the Elderly After Severe Injury: Chronic Stress and Anemia Recovery Following Major Trauma

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Oct 16, 2015
Registry last updated
Jan 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.