Sepsis constitutes a medical emergency because, if a person does not receive treatment, it can lead to death. In the United States, over 1 million people experience severe sepsis every year, and up to 30 percent of these individuals die as a result. Worldwide, over 30 million people have sepsis each year, and up to 6 million people die from it. Most commonly, sepsis is caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
New research brings much-needed hope for the treatment of sepsis. Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) — which is located in Dublin — have tested a compound called cilengitide in a preclinical trial. Steve Kerrigan, Ph.D., an associate professor in pharmacology at the RCSI, invented the drug and led the trial. Sinéad Hurley, a postdoctoral fellow at the RCSI's School of Pharmacy and Irish Center for Vascular Biology, presented the findings at…
