VolitionRx (NYSE-A:VNRX) Limited has announced a sponsored research agreement with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to evaluate the role of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in cancer patients with sepsis.
The diagnostics and monitoring company said the trial will use Volition's Nu.Q NETs test for the study, which was Conformitè Europëenne (CE) marked earlier this year for the detection and evaluation of NETosis.
“Cancer patients have a weakened immune system and have a 10 times higher likelihood of developing sepsis and are also more likely to die if they develop it,” VolitionRx chief scientific officer Dr Jake Micallef said in a statement.
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“Therefore, it is critical for physicians to identify cancer patients at risk of sepsis early and initiate treatment quickly to improve patient outcomes,” Micallef added.
VolitionRx noted the study will be led by Jyotika Sharma, professor of critical care medicine and titled “Correlation of Circulating NETs and Cell Free DNA with Inflammatory Immune Responses in Cancer Patients with Sepsis”.
Although NETs play an important role in our immune system, excessive production can lead to tissue damage and, in severe cases, sepsis, shock, and death, according to the company.
It added that several publications report the use of Volition's Nu.Q NETs test showing that the high levels of NETs produced in sepsis, coronavirus (COVID-19) and other conditions are associated with, and predictive of, a severe reaction and organ failure.
NETosis is a unique form of cell death that is characterized by the release of NETs, composed of decondensed chromatin, that trap and kill bacteria and viral particles, VolitionRx said.
VolitionRx is focused primarily on human diagnostics and monitoring, but also has a subsidiary focused on animal diagnostics and monitoring. The company's research and development activities are centered in Belgium, with an innovation laboratory and an office in the US and additional offices in London and Singapore.
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