Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection. It is life-threatening, and without timely treatment can rapidly cause tissue damage, organ failure and death.
Researchers are working to determine whether an immunotherapy drug used to treat patients with types of non-small cell lung cancer and other variants of the disease can also treat sepsis patients. The drug blocks a protein, which then boosts the immune system.
As data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality notes, sepsis (septicemia) was the most expensive condition treated in U.S. hospitals in 2013, accounting for nearly $24 billion in aggregate hospital costs. This is more than $7 billion higher than the second most expensive condition treated (osteoarthritis).
The clinical trial involves organizations from throughout the country. The report indicates that UF is the only center in Florida recruiting participants for the trial at this time.
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