Clinical Sensors, a startup based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, has been awarded two Small Business Research Grants from the National Institutes of Health. Together, the grants total $1.5 million and are earmarked for sepsis work.

The grants will enable the company to continue development and demonstration of its point-of-care device that directly measures a patient's blood nitric oxide level within a few seconds.

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Nitric oxide is connected with the progression of sepsis, a life-threatening illness where early and rapid recognition is critical to accelerate life-saving care.

"These two awards will help us demonstrate the clinical impact of our technology, which is designed to directly measure nitric oxide and related metabolites from biological fluids," Clinical Sensors CEO Philippe Chemla, said in a statement. "Our device requires a single blood sample at bedside to quickly deliver this information."

Sepsis is the body's systemic response to infection. More than 250,000 deaths occur each year from sepsis, and quick detection is key to survival.

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The NIH awards extend the company’s sepsis work, which includes a clinical study at the Jaycee Burn Center at UNC. Patients with severe burns often develop sepsis, leading to prolonged hospital stays, increased costs, and a higher risk of death, Chemla added
The study will employ Clinical Sensors’ device to follow 120 patients during their ICU stays and demonstrate the dynamic nature of nitric oxide in these patients.

Clinical Sensors will also add the measurement of low molecular weight S-nitrosothiols to its sensor platform – compounds that store nitric oxide in the body. Today, there is not a reliable method to measure these compounds to better assess the role they play in sepsis and other diseases.

Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

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