Metabolic Activity of White Cells Detects Sepsis

A new test measures the metabolic activity of a person's white cells. Using a method based on a bio-mathematical model, the test can diagnose sepsis in the early stages, identify the type of intruder to the blood--such as bacterial, fungal or viral--and inform doctors where the infection originated, and to what stage it has developed.

"Early diagnosis and treatment choice for sepsis is a daily challenge in intensive care units [ICUs],” said Dr. Avi Reinhartz, the CEO of PhagoLum (Beer Sheba, Israel), the company that developed the new diagnostic kit for sepsis, expected to be in hospital labs by the end of 2010. "Sepsis is a blood infection that in its severe stages causes the loss of balance of major systems in the body, failure of vital organs leading in many cases to death,” said Dr. Reinhartz.

In the United States, sepsis is the leading cause of death in noncoronary ICU patients, and the 10th most common cause of death overall. It occurs in 1-2 % of all hospitalizations and each year kills more people than stroke, breast cancer, and lung cancer combined.

Unlike standard culture tests or new tests such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), PhagoLum will be able to give comprehensive information about the disease. Ultimately the test, by way of its software, will help define specific clinical outcomes for each patient.

Hoping to make the technology available to hospitals worldwide, PhagoLum recently received a US$2 million investment from Ashkelon Technological Industries (ATI; Ashkelon, Israel) to help make the concept commercial.

"We are taking a mathematical model for building clinical profiles,” said Mr. Reinhartz, and "can detect sepsis early, determine if there is a blood infection or if a person is healthy.” This is a real breakthrough, he added. "We measure the entire activity of the white blood cells. As we know, these activities are affected by the immune and inflammatory systems--we extract information from it.”

Dr. Moni Magrisso from Ben Gurion University is the chief scientist of the company and the one who initiated the science behind PhagoLum. Clinical trials are now underway at the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba (Beer Sheba, Israel). "This will be the gold standard solution for testing and treating sepsis,” predicted Avi Reinhartz.


Related Links:
Ashkelon Technologies
Ben Gurion University
Soroka Hospital