Canadian Scientists Develop Breakthrough Sepsis Test That Could Save Millions of Lives

When one of Dr. Marlene dos Santos’s pneumonia patients suddenly died of sepsis—a condition she calls a “silent killer”—she knew something had to change.

Sepsis, the body’s extreme and often deadly reaction to infection, kills fast. Every hour of delayed treatment raises the risk of death by nearly 8%. Yet, despite its staggering toll—11 million lives lost each year globally—clinicians still lack reliable tools to spot it early.

That tragedy pushed Dr. dos Santos to act. She rallied a national team of scientists on a mission: to develop a rapid, accurate test that could detect sepsis before it spirals out of control.

Today, that mission is showing real promise.

In a major step forward, the team’s findings were published Tuesday in Nature Communications, unveiling a molecular blood test that could revolutionize how sepsis is diagnosed. The test works with a credit card–sized device called the PowerBlade—a portable, “lab-on-a-chip” that delivers results in under three hours using just a single drop of blood.

“It’s like something out of science fiction,” says Dr. Bob Hancock, UBC microbiologist and co-leader of the project. “You pop in the sample, and it tells you whether the patient is at high risk of sepsis—with over 90% accuracy.”

Using machine learning and blood samples from more than 3,700 patients, the team developed a six-gene “signature” called Sepset that flags early signs of sepsis with stunning precision—94% in standard lab tests and 92% using the portable device.

“This is a potential game-changer,” says Dr. Tex Kissoon, president of the Global Sepsis Alliance. “Early diagnosis is the holy grail in sepsis care. A test like this could save countless lives.”

Behind the tech is a brilliant marriage of biology and engineering. The PowerBlade, developed by Dr. Teodor Veres and his team at the National Research Council Canada, uses pressure and centrifugal force to move blood through microfluidic channels, extracting RNA and analyzing gene expression in real time.

And it's not just hospitals that could benefit. The technology is designed to work in remote communities, disaster zones, and even outer space—NASA is testing it to monitor astronaut health.

For Dr. dos Santos, this is personal. “We see sepsis all the time in the ICU. It's devastating, and it moves so fast,” she says. “To have a tool like this could be the difference between life and death.”

Now, the team is preparing for the next phase: real-world trials to validate the technology in diverse clinical settings. If successful, the test could become a global standard in sepsis care.

Source: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadian-teams-sepsis-testing-device-shows-promise-in-fight-against/