Researchers in Sweden have made a significant discovery, using mice and pigs, by treating severe bacterial infections with a newly developed peptide.
Severe bacterial infections and subsequent sepsis, a life-threatening immune response of the whole body, is a major global health challenge.
The new technique, developed at Lund University, is based on a peptide - part of a larger protein produced naturally by the body - that was found to be involved in the immune response to detect and neutralise bacterial toxins and reduce inflammation.
Preclinical studies in mice and pigs, by the researchers, showed the effectiveness of the peptide in counteracting the effects of severe bacterial infections. The research was published in Nature Communications.
Artur Schmidtchen, lead researcher at Lund (pictured right with fellow researcher Ganna Petruk) said: "There are currently no established treatments that dampen harmful inflammation in infections and prevent sepsis from occurring. We hope to evaluate our new treatment concept in patients within a few years.”
