Bacterial Translocation In Sepsis: A Multifaceted Molecular Approach
Determine how gut microbiome contributes to organ failure in critical illness.
Project at a Glance
Product Type:
Therapeutic
Project Start Date:
December 15, 2016
Principal Investigators:
Robert Dickson, MD
Solution Sheet:
Download Solution Sheet (PDF)
Funding History:
$40,000 in non-dilutive funding • 2016 $40,000 American Thoracic Society • Substantial additional departmental, school and center based support
Overview
Decades of experimental and clinical evidence have shown that gut bacteria are important in sepsis, but no one has used modern techniques to test whether gut bacteria are present in the blood of patients with sepsis. A research team led by Robert Dickson, MD, is using three new molecular techniques to study bacteria in the blood of patients with sepsis.
• Nanorod-PCR to measure how much bacteria is present
• Microbial ecology techniques to determine which bacteria are present
• Metabolomics to identify small molecules made by the bacteria
Significant Need
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body’s abnormal response to infection. Nearly one million Americans are hospitalized with sepsis each year, and sepsis contributes to up to half of all deaths among hospitalized patients. Sepsis survivors often experience profound and long-term deficits in physical and cognitive function. Despite decades of study and hundreds of clinical trials, there are no specific therapies for sepsis, and experts still don’t fully understand how sepsis occurs.
Competitive Advantage
The microbiome—the bacteria on and in our bodies—is an important, understudied target for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. This study will advance our understanding of how to use the microbiome to detect, diagnose and treat sepsis. The potential for improving patient outcomes in sepsis is enormous: even a tiny improvement in our ability to detect and treat this common, lethal disease would save thousands of lives each year.
• Generates critical new data
• Improves patient outcomes
Funding Organization(s)
