A Dundee medical research company could be on the verge of an important breakthrough in the fight against a potentially fatal disease that kills 37,000 people in the UK every year.
Axis-Shield Diagnostics’ trials of a test to detect sepsis in the early stages when it is difficult to identify have produced “very promising” results.
The company is about to publish the results of its tests of Heparin Binding Protein and is to expand its trials in Europe and the US.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition arising when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs.
It leads to shock, a catastrophic fall in blood pressure, multiple organ failure and death if not recognised early and treated promptly.
It is caused by the way the body responds to germs, such as bacteria.
The infection can start anywhere in the body after chest or water infections, problems in the abdomen like burst ulcers or simple skin injuries like cuts and bites.
Sepsis is difficult to detect in its early stages as its symptoms such as fever and rapid heartbeat are not specific to the condition and easy to miss.
It is often confused with septicaemia blood poisoning and the danger of misdiagnosis is compounded by the patient progressing from infection to sepsis and severe sepsis in a few hours.
Early-stage detection allows doctors to start aggressive treatment with fluids and antibiotics.
Axis-Shield scientific marketing manager David Craig, said: “We have recently completed a multi-site trial of the test in Sweden and the USA and the results are very promising.
“This study should be published soon.”