Discovering a potential treatment for sepsis

2024

Challenge

A condition known as sepsis occurs when the immune system becomes overactive in response to an infection, resulting in organ damage. Sepsis is a global problem that leads to major health problems and kills many people. Despite this, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has so far not approved any therapeutics that target the overactive immune response that occurs during sepsis.

Advance

A team of IRP researchers discovered that Fostamatinib, an FDA-approved drug that inhibits an enzyme called spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK), can reduce the hyper-activity of immune cells called neutrophils that contribute to sepsis. The scientists found that Fostamatinib was able to inhibit three different functions of neutrophils that contribute to organ injury during sepsis when those cells are over-active. Importantly, the drug did not inhibit neutrophils’ other functions, including their ability to engulf and destroy bacteria and dead cells, known as phagocytosis.

Impact

These findings suggest that Fostamatinib may be a potential therapeutic in patients with bacterial sepsis. By inhibiting the overactive immune response present in sepsis, Fostamatinib may decrease the resulting organ injury, thereby improving clinical outcomes and lowering the risk of death. If future studies testing the effectiveness of Fostamatinib in large animal models of bacterial sepsis show positive results, then scientists can move on to a first-in-human clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of Fostamatinib in human patients.

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