AAD, BARDA Partner to Seek Earlier Detection of Sepsis

Image created by Dr. Michael J. Miller

AAD, developer of rapid diagnostic and data systems, announced that it has been awarded a federal contract for the development of an innovative system for the earlier detection of severe infection, including sepsis. The easy-to-use system is designed for use at point of care in urgent care clinics, doctors' offices and other prehospital settings, and could result in critical earlier intervention and improved patient outcomes.

AAD's QScout® RLD+ system is being developed as an easy-to-use, rapid-result hematology analyzer to capture a 7-part leukocyte differential, including quantification of band neutrophils and other immature granulocytes (IG). In serious infections, bands are released after mature neutrophils are depleted, and then IGs are released. Having automated band counts and the simultaneous availability of IG counts would be a first in medicine and will enable earlier identification of infection, including sepsis.

The QScout RLD+ system is designed to deliver laboratory-grade results in two minutes, in almost any setting, compared to the approximately two hours required of a traditional manual hospital testing procedure. Each hour delayed for the onset of antibiotic treatment of septic shock can increase mortality nearly 8%.

"According to the CDC, the vast majority of sepsis cases — 87 percent — begin outside of a hospital," said Joy Parr Drach, CEO of AAD. "Having a test system that in about two minutes can give results patient-side that are typically only available in a hospital setting would provide critical information and allow faster intervention for the patient. This new test system represents AAD doing things not before possible in places not before possible."

The development of AAD's new system is being funded in part with federal funds from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority's (BARDA) Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures under contract number 75A50121C00089; BARDA is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

According to the Centers for the Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency that happens when an infection a person already has triggers a chain reaction throughout the body. Infections that lead to sepsis most often start in the lung, urinary tract, skin, or gastrointestinal tract, although almost any infection can trigger sepsis, in which a localized infection progresses to severe infection throughout the body.

In a typical year, at least 1.7 million adults in the United States develop sepsis, and nearly 270,000 die as a result. A 2020 study estimated that sepsis caused approximately 11 million deaths worldwide in 2017 — or nearly 20 percent of all deaths in that year. Other studies show sepsis is the leading pediatric killer and leading cause of hospital deaths in the U.S.

About Advanced Animal Diagnostics

AAD (Advanced Animal Diagnostics) provides rapid point-of-care diagnostic and data systems for fast health care decisions. The company's QScout® line of rapid diagnostic tests empowers more precise care of animals and humans so they live healthier, more productive lives. Its diagnostic offerings inform real-time decisions that increase productivity, prevent losses, protect the food supply, and improve human and animal health well-being.