The Technology
Sepsis is a severe life-threatening systemic inflammatory response related to infection that is responsible for more than 750,000 deaths annually in the US. It is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with proven or probable infection of bacterial, fungal or viral origin. Currently the treatment in sepsis is based on antibiotics and organs support, such as IV fluids and ventilation. Although recent studies establish a pronounced immune dysfunction during sepsis, present treatment strategies do not aim to target the immune system. Similarly, current outcome predictive models in sepsis are based on clinical parameters, while there is currently no molecular test in use to assess the immune state of an individual during sepsis. Furthermore, traditional approaches do not consider the variability in the baseline state of the immune system between individuals, although this may affect outcome in sepsis. This approach results in a narrow and incomplete understanding of the immune state of the septic patient and limits the possibilities to tailor the treatment to the patient.
The present technology provides a method of determining prognosis of a subject diagnosed with sepsis, based on molecular profiling the level of T-cell senescence (cellular exhaustion), which may also help identify the subset of sepsis patients for whom immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (e.g. anti PD-1 antibodies) would be beneficial, reinvigorating the immune-response in sepsis.
Advantages
- Facilitates targeted therapy
- Facilitates tailored therapy
Applications and Opportunities
- Fast molecular test
- Prognostic indicator
- Therapy selection and tailoring
- In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD)
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