We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Immune Response Tests Enable Rapid Antibiotic Decisions

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 31 Jan 2018
Print article
Image: The diagnostic accuracy of the HostDx Sepsis assay compared to other methods (Photo courtesy of Inflammatix).
Image: The diagnostic accuracy of the HostDx Sepsis assay compared to other methods (Photo courtesy of Inflammatix).
A novel test uses quantitative multiplex gene expression to analyze a patient's immune system, or the host response, rather than looking for the presence of a pathogen that indicates whether there is an infection in the blood.

The assays run on a molecular, multiplex platform, read patterns of gene expression from white blood cells as an indicator of the immune system's response to infection. The multigene sepsis diagnostic panel would be able to tell from a blood sample whether a hospitalized patient has a bacterial, viral, or no infection so that physicians would be able to administer more appropriate treatments earlier.

The HostDx Sepsis test (Inflammatix, Burlingame, CA, USA) has been validated in 20 cohorts of 1,057 patients. It has also demonstrated its performance in five cohorts of 189 patients diagnosed with sepsis at the time of hospital admission and four cohorts of 282 patients with hospital-acquired sepsis. In developing its tests, Inflammatix analyzes microarray and RNA-sequencing data that reside in public and private databases and that are derived from several patient cohorts around the world. Its data science team observes patterns or fingerprints of gene expression across different cohorts.

For its fever assay, the firm has reported 94% sensitivity and 76% specificity for bacterial infection. For its sepsis assay, it has reported 94% sensitivity for bacterial infection, 91% specificity for viral infection, and 95% sensitivity for 30-day mortality related to sepsis. While diagnosing infections, clinicians frequently use blood culture testing to find pathogens, which can take up to 72 hours to get a positive test result, compared to one hour with HostDx.

Timothy E. Sweeney, MD, CEO and founder of Inflammatix, said, “Inflammatix has developed a method that is broadly applicable and gives us the ability to not only discover the best gene sets for specific applications, but also the best algorithms that sit on top of those gene sets to make sure that the diagnostic tools are accurate. The firm has prospectively validated eight sets of genes for different clinical applications. By reading the immune response, you can tell whether a bacterial or viral infection is causing a patient's symptoms, and fundamentally that's what a physician needs to know up front.”

Related Links:
Inflammatix

Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Specimen Collection & Transport
Complement 3 (C3) Test
GPP-100 C3 Kit
Gold Member
Reagent Reservoirs
Reagent Reservoirs

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The study showed the blood-based cancer screening test detects 83% of people with colorectal cancer with specificity of 90% (Photo courtesy of Guardant Health)

Blood Test Shows 83% Accuracy for Detecting Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths among adults in the U.S., with forecasts suggesting 53,010 people might die from it in 2024. While fewer older adults are dying from this... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The Gazelle Hb Variant Test (Photo courtesy of Hemex Health)

First Affordable and Rapid Test for Beta Thalassemia Demonstrates 99% Diagnostic Accuracy

Hemoglobin disorders rank as some of the most prevalent monogenic diseases globally. Among various hemoglobin disorders, beta thalassemia, a hereditary blood disorder, affects about 1.5% of the world's... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The new platform is designed to perform blood-based diagnoses of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New Blood Test Cuts Diagnosis Time for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections from Months to Hours

Breathing in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a common experience for many people. These bacteria are present in water systems, soil, and dust all over the world and usually don't cause any problems.... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: These new assays are being developed for use on the recently introduced DxI 9000 Immunoassay Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter)

Beckman Coulter and Fujirebio Expand Partnership on Neurodegenerative Disease Diagnostics

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (Brea, CA, USA) and Fujirebio Diagnostics (Tokyo, Japan) have expanded their partnership focused on the development, manufacturing and clinical adoption of neurodegenerative... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.