Sepsis Research in Vulnerable Populations: Translating Endothelial Biology Into Personalized Care

Sepsis remains one of the most pressing challenges in global health, accounting for significant mortality and debilitating long-term morbidity in intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Despite major clinical and diagnostic advancements, profound gaps persist between preclinical mechanistic discovery, bedside interventions, and post-discharge recovery. A major challenge in routine ICU management is the marked clinical and biological heterogeneity of the syndrome. Sepsis is not a uniform condition; it encompasses varied host immune responses, cellular and microvascular dysfunction, endothelial damage, organ failure, and distinct patient vulnerability profiles. Consequently, traditional risk stratification often fails to capture individual patient trajectories. The modern era of sepsis research demands an integrated approach to address persistent hurdles in early detection, prognosis, and treatment. Furthermore, there is a critical need to leverage artificial intelligence for identifying novel clinical phenotypes that dictate survivorship and predict future risk or relapse. Finally, understanding the true global burden entails conciliating epidemiological disparities and resource limitations, ensuring that mechanistic and clinical advances translate into improved quality of life for all sepsis patients after discharge.The fundamental problem currently being faced in sepsis research is the fragmentation of knowledge across isolated disciplines. Basic scientists, acute care clinicians, and population epidemiologists frequently operate in silos, which limits the successful translation of preclinical discoveries into tailored, real-world bedside therapies and effective long-term survivorship programs. This Research Topic tackles this disconnect by building a comprehensive, global bridge between basic translational science, bedside clinical practice, and population-level health. By directly connecting mechanistic disease models with real-world clinical trajectories, data-science- and artificial intelligence-based applications, and longitudinal survivorship data, we seek to fundamentally redefine how sepsis is stratified and managed. Ultimately, the purpose of this collection is to foster meaningful, cross-disciplinary dialogue among basic scientists, adult and pediatric intensivists, epidemiologists, and public health researchers to drive collaborative solutions that improve outcomes from the initial ICU admission through post-discharge recovery.We invite submissions from a diverse range of disciplines exploring the wide continuum of sepsis care. Researchers are encouraged to submit Original Research, comprehensive Reviews, and exceptional, highly relevant Case Reports.We are particularly interested in manuscripts that cover (but are not limited to) the following themes:• Recent advances in the early detection and targeted treatment of sepsis or septic shock.• Current clinical challenges and novel strategies for managing vulnerable patients in the ICU.• Translational and preclinical models exploring sepsis pathophysiology, endothelial dysfunction, and multiple organ failure mechanisms.• The identification of novel clinical phenotypes, advanced risk stratification, and machine-learning applications in sepsis research.• Global health considerations, subnational disease burden studies, and implementation science in resource-limited settings.• Pediatric, geriatric, immunocompromised, and otherwise vulnerable patient populations• Long-term outcomes, post-sepsis syndrome interventions, rehabilitation and quality of life across pediatric and adult survivor cohorts. Topic editors: Sebastian Gatica, Niranjan Kissoon, Felipe Simon Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86358/sepsis-research-in-vulnerable-populations-translating-endothelial-biology-into-personalized-care