Handheld prototype for early detection of sepsis receives additional funding

A motion blurred photograph of a child patient on stretcher or gurney being pushed at speed through a hospital corridor by doctors & nurses to an emergency room

LIVERPOOL, 21-Feb-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — A University of Liverpool spin-out company, Sepsis Limited has secured further funding support to test a point of care diagnostic tool for the early detection of sepsis.

The Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare), led by the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), has awarded the company £100,000 for the first phase of testing a working prototype of a hand held device that will be used at the patient bedside for rapid diagnosis and treatment of sepsis.

The award is part of an NHS England initiative aimed at helping healthcare organisations to improve their flow of patients.

Often referred to as blood poisoning, sepsis is the major cause of death worldwide. In the UK, approximately 100,000 people are admitted to hospital with sepsis and around 37,000 people will die as a result of the condition.

Sepsis Limited, which was spun out in 2010, is founded on the ground breaking research of blood specialist Professor Cheng-Hock Toh from the University’s Institute of Infection and Global Health.

The company’s hand-held device can detect abnormal blood chemistry due to bacterial sepsis within minutes of sampling and before standard physiological sepsis is diagnosed. It has been designed to frequently monitor progression of symptoms with a view to improve and measure the appropriate use of antibiotics and collectively meet objectives of the Department of Health’s UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013-2018.

Professor Toh, who also provides direct patient care at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: “This new funding is an important step in helping us to translate our research into a bedside test that can quickly diagnose life-threatening sepsis, improve antibiotic usage, and ultimately save lives.”

SOURCE: University of Liverpool

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