Diagnostics


Stop the cascade


Sepsis is a leading cause of death in hospitals, and yet, there’s very little in the way of treatment that can dramatically increase the odds of survival. A key reason for this is that identifying the pathogen that caused the disease takes time and that’s a luxury that patients


don’t have. Peter Littlejohns speaks to Donald Ingber, founding director of Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and Michael Super, senior staff scientist, Wyss Institute, to fi nd out how a research journey spanning almost two decades resulted in technology that could lead to quicker diagnosis and treatment for patients with sepsis.


T 28


he immune system is the body’s defence against infections of all types. The first level of this system eliminates numerous pathogens before they have a chance to reach tissues or blood, through the use of the skin barrier, tears, sweat and the mucosal linings of the nose and lungs. But if a


pathogen reaches the next level, a system of cells and proteins identify it and launch a specific attack to prevent it from spreading. In the case of sepsis, this immune response is impaired. “Sepsis is a systemic infection that leads to a body-wide inflammatory response that causes multiple organ


Practical Patient Care / www.practical-patient-care.com


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