Harvard’s Wyss Institute Launches Update of Sepsis-Treating Device

Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has launched an update of its device that treats sepsis by mimicking the human spleen.

The new version employs hollow fiber filters found in dialysis cartridges, whose inner walls are coated with the FcMBL protein to remove pathogens from circulating blood — eliminating the complexity, regulatory challenges and cost associated with FcMBL-coated magnetic beads utilized by its predecessor while retaining the protein’s ability to bind to all kinds of live and dead pathogens and toxins.

Further, the updated device synergizes with conventional antibiotic therapies and has been streamlined to better position it for near-term translation to the clinic, the institute says. — Michael Cipriano