NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Molecular diagnostics firm SIRS-Lab today announced a collaboration with Pfizer Pharma focused on sepsis diagnostics and treatment.
The firms will initially evaluate the clinical impact of using molecular-based tests for diagnosis of severe fungal blood stream infections, as well as the pharmacoeconomics of such an approach.
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Each year, more than 2 million people in Europe and North America are affected by sepsis, a leading cause of death in hospitals. In a statement, SIRS-Lab said that patients with sepsis may not be receiving proper treatment, as evidence of antibiotic resistance mounts. With molecular diagnostic tests, a microbe can be identified in a few hours, leading to quicker tailoring of the treatment.
Based in Jena, Germany, SIRS-Lab develops and commercializes products for the diagnosis and monitoring of life-threatening infections. It has developed a proprietary sample preparation technology called Looxster, used within the company's Vyoo CE-marked sepsis test. Another test being planned for launch, Siqnature, monitors the body's immune response to infection through gene expression.