UK Trial Tests Blood Test That Aims to Flag Sepsis Three Days Before Symptoms Appear

At Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, clinicians are running a trial of a blood test built around a stubborn problem: sepsis is usually recognized only once a patient is already showing symptoms. The test aims to change that timing. Its developers believe it can predict whether a patient will develop sepsis about three days before any symptoms appear.

Sepsis is the immune system's overreaction to an infection or injury, and it is associated with life-threatening organ dysfunction. An estimated 49 million people worldwide contract it each year. In the UK, almost 2 million patients admitted to hospital annually are thought to be at risk of developing it. According to Professor Dame Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence, sepsis causes up to 48,000 deaths a year in the country and significant life-changing effects in nearly 80,000 people.

The test has a military origin. Scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) researched it over 10 years. Dr Roman Lukaszewski, the lead Dstl scientist behind it, said the work began as an effort to help Service personnel survive injury and infection on the front line. It is now being developed by Presymptom Health, a government spin-out company, which believes the technology could improve clinical outcomes for sepsis patients and save billions of pounds globally.

The trial is led by Dr Paul Schmidt and his team at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. Up to 600 patients admitted with respiratory tract infections will be offered the chance to take part. Two other hospital sites were expected to go live over the summer. In August 2021, Presymptom Health received further funding from Ploughshare Innovations and the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund, which is meant to cover clinical trials at those two additional hospitals and move the product toward registration and launch. Ploughshare, which commercializes research from government laboratories such as Dstl, put in £200,000. Its chief executive, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, noted that it is unusual for the company to make R&D investments in its spin-outs, but said the potential impact justified speeding up development.

The initial trials will last roughly 12 months. They will use samples taken from participating patients alongside samples held in a Dstl biobank. The resulting data will be independently assessed and used to refine and validate the test.

Presymptom Health's chief executive, Iain Miller, said he is confident the trial will confirm the test's ability to deliver life-saving results when they are most needed. Anoop Chauhan, executive director of research at the Portsmouth trust, thanked patients for their involvement in research against COVID and sepsis, and said the work could be vital for identifying sepsis early.

The developers also see wider uses. If the test succeeds, it could identify sepsis arising from other infections before symptoms appear, potentially including future waves of COVID-19 and other pandemics. Lukaszewski pointed to the test now being used for the wider population, including people fighting COVID-19.

The claims remain the developers' expectations until the trial reports. If the independent assessment validates the test, it may be available for broader NHS use within two years.