Saturday, June 03, 2023
Asep Medical Holdings Inc. has announced a groundbreaking use of artificial intelligence (AI) for rapidly identifying infections with a higher risk of severe sepsis. The innovative method, developed by the Hancock Lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC) under the guidance of Dr. Robert E.W. Hancock, analyzes dysfunctional immune responses in sepsis and identifies sets of genes that can help assess the likelihood of a patient developing severe sepsis.
Dr. Hancock, Chair and CEO of Asep Inc., highlighted the significance of using AI in addressing the urgent medical need posed by sepsis, a severe condition responsible for a significant number of global deaths, including those resulting from severe COVID-19. Rapid detection is crucial, as delays in treatment can increase the risk of death. The AI-based approach has successfully identified gene sets that can aid in assessing the likelihood of a patient, including those with pandemic diseases like COVID-19, developing severe sepsis. The positive results from early clinical studies have paved the way for a confirmatory clinical trial at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC, to evaluate the performance of the SepsetER test on sepsis patients.
Following the confirmatory trial, a larger study is planned to demonstrate the effectiveness of Asep Inc's sepsis diagnostic technology, SepsetER TM, and compare it to currently available tests. The Company aims to seek clearance for SepsetER as a medical device through a 510(k) submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by Q1 2024. Once cleared, the test is expected to become available for use in hospitals.
AI has also played a pivotal role in understanding the complex nature of sepsis, which has hindered effective treatment thus far. Recent clinical studies published in prestigious journals have demonstrated the application of AI methods in accurately identifying different endotypes of sepsis in patients, with a high level of accuracy. This breakthrough provides valuable insights into risk assessment and the development of novel treatments for sepsis.
Furthermore, Asep Inc. has extended the use of AI to address antibiotic resistance and biofilm infections. The Company has utilized AI to discover a collection of antimicrobial peptides that show promise as a new class of antibiotics. These peptides, consisting of a string of approximately a dozen amino acids, hold potential for combating recalcitrant biofilm infections, which are known for their adaptiveness and resistance to conventional antibiotics.
The utilization of AI by Asep Inc. and its research team represents significant advancements in healthcare, particularly in improving sepsis diagnosis and addressing antibiotic resistance. These innovations have the potential to revolutionize patient care and contribute to improved treatment outcomes for severe sepsis and biofilm-related infections.
Source: prnewswire.com
