Project description
Seeking solutions to combat sepsis
Sepsis, a life-threatening condition triggered by infection, afflicts nearly 50 million individuals yearly, posing a significant global health challenge and a leading cause of death worldwide. Survivors often endure post-sepsis immunosuppression, leaving them vulnerable to infections, autoimmune diseases, and other long-term health issues. The molecular intricacies driving this immune dysfunction remain largely elusive, complicating prognosis and treatment. In this context, the EU-funded BEATsep project is uniting medical experts and immunologists across Europe. By tracking unique clinical and immunological markers over time, BEATsep aims to unravel the mysteries of post-sepsis immunosuppression. Their mission? To pinpoint at-risk patients, decode underlying molecular mechanisms, and pioneer strategies for early intervention.
Objective
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction resulting from dysregulated immune responses to infection, affecting almost 50 million people yearly. Sepsis is a major global health challenge and a leading cause of death worldwide. Moreover, people surviving sepsis often suffer post-sepsis immunosuppression, a long-lasting state of immune dysfunction predisposing them to infections, autoimmune and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and long-term reduced fitness. The molecular mechanisms driving post-sepsis immunosuppression remain largely elusive. Furthermore, predicting which patients will survive or develop immunosuppression is currently impossible.
BEATsep will tackle this challenge by combining the expertise of physicians, clinician scientists and immunologists in top European institutions. We will, for the first time, longitudinally assess unique immunological and clinical parameters and combine them to: i) gain insight into the long-term immunological consequences of septic shock; ii) identify novel markers to identify patients at risk; and iii) unravel molecular mechanisms driving post-sepsis immunosuppression. We will also develop strategies to improve the stratification of acute sepsis survivors to identify patients with a higher risk of sepsis-associated NCDs and comorbidities. BEATsep will have significant societal, scientific, and economic impacts, as efficient prevention of sepsis-induced comorbidities could save significant amounts within healthcare budgets and potentially improve the quality of life for millions worldwide who suffer from the long-term effects of sepsis.
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HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
602 00 Brno
Czechia