Sepset Biosciences developing diagnostic test for sepsis

Sepsis hospitalises more than 18 million people globally each year, and is responsible for more deaths than cancer, but is often misdiagnosed. It is the body’s response to an infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. It carries a 30% mortality rate and will leave the majority of survivors with long-term, physical and physiological effects. Quicker diagnosis and treatment could prevent 80% of deaths in hospitals attributed to sepsis, and in 2017 the World Health Organisation declared the condition a global health priority.
It takes over 24 hours to diagnose sepsis with current methods, and every hour that goes by without diagnosis and treatment increases the likelihood of death from sepsis by 8%. Quicker diagnosis and more accurately targeted treatment could be on the horizon with the development of a novel rapid blood-based diagnostic test by Canadian company Sepset Biosciences. Their test is designed to identify a unique biomarker signature based on the body’s immune response rather than the presence of a pathogen.
Prof. Bob Hancock, co-founder of Sepset, said: “Sepsis is a global problem and we need a better and faster way of detecting sepsis to save hundreds of thousands of lives around the globe. After receiving promising results from an initial pilot study, we initiated a multi-country, observational prospective clinical study last year to validate and refine Sepset’s proprietary gene signature to quickly and accurately identify patients with sepsis.”