New drug could stop sepsis triggering organ damage

A new therapy could stop the early stages of sepsis from triggering organ damage, research suggests.

Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) found the drug InnovoSep has the potential to stop all sepsis-causing bacteria from damaging organs.

During a pre-clinical trial of InnovoSep the researchers also found that the drug could stop sepsis from causing multiple organ failure in later stages of the condition.

Sepsis can be a silent killer as it can develop rapidly and go undiagnosed due to its non-specific signs and symptoms, which are similar to those of the flu. Any type of infection can lead to sepsis; from minor infections of the skin, urinary tract infections, or even a simple cut or break in the skin.

It’s thought that sepsis affects more than 30 million people worldwide every year, leading to a potential six million deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.

Principal Investigator on the research, professor Steve Kerrigan, associate professor in Pharmacology at RCSI and inventor of InnovoSep said: “Sepsis occurs when an infection gets into the bloodstream and our own body’s defence system spins out of control trying to fight the infection, which results in multiple organ failure if untreated.

“There is only a short window of opportunity for treatment of sepsis with the early administration of antibiotics and fluid. However, in many cases antibiotics are not effective due to drug resistance or delays in identifying the type of bacteria that has caused the infection. Therefore, there is a need for a non-antibiotic therapy that can be used at all stages of infection against all bacterial causes of sepsis”.

InnovoSep works by preventing the bacteria from getting into the bloodstream by stabilising blood vessels so they can’t leak bacteria and infect major organs, according to the researchers.

“The promising results of the InnovoSep pre-clinical trial gives hope for a new non-antibiotic treatment of this condition that could be effective in both the early and more advanced stages of sepsis which results in almost 3000 deaths in Ireland each year,” professor Kerrigan added.