SeptiCyte Lab sepsis test

Molecular diagnostics company Athlomics, in collaboration with Mater Pathology, has launched an immune system gene expression test for the diagnosis of severe infections, commonly known as sepsis.

Multi-centre clinical trial data has shown the test, known as SeptiCyte Lab, was successful in diagnosing sepsis with a high performance within 3 h of receiving samples.

The decision to develop SeptiCyte Lab resulted from interactions with critical care clinicians, surgeons and oncologists who stressed the importance of earlier diagnosis of sepsis. It is claimed that a relatively quick test such as SeptiCyte Lab will empower clinicians to more aggressively treat sepsis.

SeptiCyte Lab test is a multiplex molecular method for diagnosing sepsis using the patient’s ‘host response’.

The test translates the complex signals occurring in the cells of the immune system into an objective score indicating the likelihood of the patient having sepsis. SeptiCyte testing enables clinicians to diagnose sepsis earlier and act upon this diagnosis with more certainty. The test could potentially also be used for regular monitoring of patients over time, in order to assess the response to treatment. The clinical value of SeptiCyte testing was demonstrated in a multi-centre, blinded clinical trial. SeptiCyte Lab was successful in distinguishing sepsis from other forms of systemic inflammation with a performance of 85 to 95% (p<0.01). The test is currently offered through the Mater Pathology Services and requires 5 mL of whole blood in PreAnalytiX PAXgene tubes. Options for paediatric and neonatal use are currently being evaluated.