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A Portable Blood Cleanser for Treating Sepsis


Harvard researchers have developed a machine that can filter pathogens from the blood and offers hope for faster, more effective treatment for sepsis.

By Mike Orcutt on September 18, 2015

Why It Matters

There are 18 million reported cases of sepsis in the world each year, and one in three patients dies from complications.

A portable machine that can treat sepsis by filtering pathogens from blood is nearing the point where it could be ready for human clinical testing.

Recent tests in rats have shown that the device—which works in a similar way to the dialysis machines already used to filter the blood of patients with kidney failure—not only efficiently removes pathogenic material from the bloodstream but also works in concert with antibiotics to prevent a harmful immune response that can lead to organ malfunction and even death.

The project, led by researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, is part of an effort by the U.S. defense department to design a portable machine for treating soldiers in the field. But sepsis is not just a problem in war zones. There is currently no effective therapy, and the disorder kills millions of people around the world every year.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/541406/a-portable-blood-cleanser-for-treating-sepsis/#comments