Table 2.

Future evolution of “sepsis” trials.

The Past	The Future
Preclinical studies
Limited data from previously healthy animals made septic (e.g., CLP) Limited information on the pathophysiologic processes	Larger variety of animal studies Better definition of the pathway of interest More information on the pathophysiologic processes Development of suitable biomarkers
Clinical studies
Patient selection Severe infection with some degree of organ failure	Patient selection Based on the pathophysiologic process (ideally guided by a biomarker) Infection may not be required
Treatment dose and duration Arbitrarily defined	Treatment dose and duration Individualized (ideally guided by the biomarker)
Primary end-point 28-day mortality	Primary end-point Morbidity (and mortality)

CLP = cecal ligation and puncture.