IPP and Sepsis: Selection of the IPP gene set was based on existing knowledge on genes related to relevant outcomes in sepsis (mortality prediction, sepsis-associated immunosuppression, susceptibility to secondary infections); technical performance of the selected targets in multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR); and the goal to attain a balanced representation of pathways involved in sepsis immunopathology (such as monocyte anergy, antigen presentation, lymphocyte exhaustion, etc.)(26–29).