DNA sequencing could reveal hidden bacteria in burn wounds
NCT ID NCT05275335
First seen Sep 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are studying the bacteria that live in burn wounds and how they relate to patient outcomes. The trial compares standard laboratory cultures with next-generation DNA sequencing to see if the newer method gives a clearer picture of the wound microbiome. Up to 400 adults with burn injuries that need surgery will provide wound samples. The goal is to learn whether sequencing can better predict complications and guide treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If sequencing proves more informative than standard cultures, doctors could one day tailor burn care to the specific bacteria in each wound, potentially reducing infections and improving healing.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, so it cannot prove that any treatment works. Sequencing may reveal bacterial DNA that does not affect patient outcomes, and the findings may not apply to children or non-burn wounds.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
-
About 400 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Nov 2022
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Adult burn patients with excised burn eschar
- Ages
-
18 to 100 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * All adult patients (18 years of age and greater) admitted to or consulted by the Acute Burn Surgery service with a diagnosis of a partial thickness or full thickness burn wound determined by the Acute Burn Surgery service to be appropriate for operative intervention. We will include patients 18 years of age and older of any gender, race, prior therapy, or pre-existing medical condition. We will also include subjects in special classes, including pregnant women and cognitively impaired persons. Exclusion Criteria: * Children (less than 18 years of age) will be excluded. Patients who do not undergo operative therapy or patients whose operative therapy does not involve tangential excision of burn wounds will also not be eligible for inclusion by virtue of not being able to provide appropriate biospecimens. Patients whose burn wounds are isolated to the genitalia and perineum will be excluded from the study. For patients who have multiple burn wounds including those to the genitalia and perineum, it should be noted that excised tissues from the genitalia and perineum are not eligible for inclusion to the Burn Wound Data/Bio-Repository. Finally, patients whose operative intervention results in less than a total of 4 grams of discarded tissue will be excluded due to insufficient specimen for proper tissue analysis. Any tissue allocated for pathology or that has already been physically discarded into a trash receptacle will not be eligible for inclusion in the Burn Wound Data/Bio-Repository. We will also exclude prisoners from this study.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Burns are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of Texas Medical Branch
RECRUITINGGalveston, Texas, 77550, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can video games and pilates rebuild strength after severe burns?
- Can a dissolvable dressing get burn patients to skin grafts faster?
- Could a special dressing make skin grafts unnecessary for burns?
- Can tiny skin grafts heal wounds without leaving a second scar?
- Lab-Grown skin could transform burn healing
- Lab-Grown skin could transform burn care for children