Potential new treatment for sepsis
Griffith University researchers may have unlocked the secret to treating sepsis, with a Phase II clinical trial in China successfully concluding with promising results.
2026-01-15
(Press-News.org)
Griffith University researchers may have unlocked the secret to treating sepsis, with a Phase II clinical trial in China successfully concluding with promising results.
The sepsis drug candidate, a carbohydrate-based drug called STC3141, was co-developed by Distinguished Professor Mark von Itzstein AO and his team from Griffith’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, and Professor Christopher Parish and his team at The Australian National University.
“The trial met the key endpoints to indicate the drug candidate was successful in reducing sepsis in humans,” Professor von Itzstein said.
STC3141 was administered as an infusion via a cannula and counteracted a significant biological molecule release phenomenon which occurred in the body during the course of sepsis.
The small-molecule experimental drug was a carbohydrate-based molecule and could treat sepsis by reversing organ damage.
Sepsis was known to affect millions of hospitalised patients across the world each year and occurred when the body’s immune response to an infection attacked and injured its own tissues and organs.
“When sepsis is not recognised early and managed promptly, it can lead to septic shock, multiple organ failure and death,” Distinguished Professor von Itzstein said.
The trial, conducted by Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited (Grand Pharma), involved 180 patients with sepsis, one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide.
Currently, there is no specific anti-sepsis therapy available, and sepsis is considered a clinical unmet need.
Professor von Itzstein said Grand Pharma would now look to progress to a Phase III trial to continue testing the efficacy of the novel treatment.
“It’s hoped we could see the treatment reach the market in a handful years, potentially saving millions of lives,” he said.
Executive Director of the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Professor Paul Clarke, said: “I am thrilled to see the results of the trial which ultimately aims to save lives.”
“The Institute and its researchers collectively work on translational research to deliver real and immediate impacts both in Australia, and globally to transform lives.”
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2026-01-15
Playing video games for more than 10 hours a week could have a significant impact on young people’s diet, sleep and body weight, according to a new Curtin University-led study published in Nutrition.
Researchers surveyed 317 students from five Australian universities with a median age of 20 years old.
They split participants into three groups depending on the self-reported amount of time spent playing video games, from ‘low gamers’ (0-5 hours per week) to ‘moderate gamers’ (5-10 hours) and ‘high gamers’ ...
2026-01-15
Background
Various tissues and organs in the human body, such as nerves, heart, bones, and skin, rely on bioelectrical signals to maintain function and support regeneration. Although conventional electrical therapies are effective, they require external power sources and invasive electrodes, leading to high risks of infection and reduced patient comfort. This review innovatively proposes the use of electrospinning to fabricate electroactive fibrous scaffolds, which mimic the structure of the extracellular matrix while providing electrical activity, thereby enabling non-invasive and self-powered tissue repair.
Research Progress
Electrically sensitive ...
2026-01-15
Fingertip monitors known as pulse oximeters that can be used at home to detect low blood oxygen levels (hypoxaemia) give higher readings for patients with darker than lighter skin tones, finds the largest study on this topic published by The BMJ today.
This means that low blood oxygen levels may be missed in patients with darker skin tones, potentially delaying care, while patients with lighter skin tones may get unnecessary treatment.
Pulse oximeters use light to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood (SpO2). For most people, a normal pulse oximeter reading is between 95% and 100%, with readings below 90-92% generally considered low and requiring medical ...
2026-01-15
Wearing a cast for six weeks appears to be no less effective than surgery for healing unstable ankle fractures and carries fewer treatment related harms, finds a clinical trial from Finland published by The BMJ today.
Around two thirds of all ankle fractures involve a break in the fibula (the outer ankle bone). Known as Weber B fractures, they leave the ankle either stable or unstable (at risk of falling out of alignment).
Surgery remains the main treatment for Weber B ankle fractures deemed unstable, despite recent trials and guidelines increasingly supporting non-surgical options in selected patients.
To explore this further, researchers set out ...
2026-01-15
Alcohol-free and low alcohol (“nolo”) drinks have the potential to improve public health, but experts in The BMJ today call for a precautionary approach that maximises potential benefits (eg. increased substitution of alcoholic drinks with nolo alternatives) while minimising risks (eg. preventing encroachment of nolo drinks into alcohol-free spaces).
Sales of alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks have increased substantially over recent years, driven by improved manufacturing techniques and consumer demand for better and healthier alternatives to alcoholic drinks, ...
2026-01-15
Key findings
Adding 100 mL of water at room temperature (25 ℃) to 1 g of the alloy powder results in nearly complete hydrolysis and yields a high hydrogen output in a short time. After correcting for water vapor, the measured hydrogen volume corresponds to approximately 737–760 mL H₂ per gram of powder (produced within about 10 minutes).
Raising the water temperature to 60 ℃ further increases both reaction rate and total yield, reaching up to ≈835 mL H₂/g (uncorrected value).
Microstructural analysis using SEM/TEM/EDS shows that the gas-atomized powders are spherical (diameter ~6–65 ...
2026-01-15
Archival discoveries including a 19th-century autobiography transform our understanding of Shadrack Byfield, an English veteran of the War of 1812 who buried his own amputated arm and designed a custom prosthesis. A recurrent character in TV documentaries, books and museum exhibits in the USA and Canada, Byfield has been celebrated as an uncomplaining British soldier. But the new evidence reveals Byfield’s tenacious pursuit of veterans’ benefits and his struggles with pain, poverty, and the police.
‘They came and pushed me about, ...
2026-01-15
The University of Birmingham today (15 Jan) launched a new West Midlands-based facility for separating and recycling rare earth magnets that will help to reduce the UK’s reliance on imports of rare earth metals, alloys, and magnets.
Rare earth magnets are amongst the key ‘critical minerals’ that are integral to modern life. They form a core building block in technologies such as wind turbines, electric vehicles, medical equipment, pumps, robotics, and electronics. Demand for these minerals will only increase as the adoption of low-carbon technologies ...
2026-01-14
The Oceanography Society (TOS) has selected Dr. Corday Selden, an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, as a recipient of the TOS Early Career Award, recognizing her outstanding early-career research contributions, leadership in ocean sciences, and exceptional promise for future impact in oceanography. Dr. Selden will be recognized at The Oceanography Society Honors Breakfast, February 24, 2026, during the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Selden is a marine biogeochemist whose research has fundamentally advanced understanding of how marine microbial processes regulate ocean chemistry and Earth-system function. Her work integrates stable isotope geochemistry, ...
2026-01-14
One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is the clumping of proteins called Tau, which form tangled fibrils in the brain. The more severe the clumping, the more advanced the disease is.
The Tau protein, which has also been linked to many other neurodegenerative diseases, is unstructured in its normal state, but in the pathological state it consists of a well-ordered rigid core surrounded by floppy segments. These disordered segments form a “fuzzy coat” that helps determine how Tau interacts with other molecules.
MIT chemists have ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Potential new treatment for sepsis
Griffith University researchers may have unlocked the secret to treating sepsis, with a Phase II clinical trial in China successfully concluding with promising results.
