Frontiers in Science Lead Article
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Deciphering sepsis: transforming diagnosis and treatment through systems immunology
Frontiers in Science
doi 10.3389/fsci.2024.1469417
- 62,990 views
- 5 citations
A precision medicine strategy to decode, diagnose, and treat sepsis
Sepsis, a complex and heterogenous syndrome triggered by infection, causes millions of deaths each year through multi-organ dysfunction and failure. Could systems immunology yield precision medicine solutions to this hidden global health crisis?
Hancock et al. demonstrate how bioinformatic analysis of gene expression and other omics data could reshape sepsis care through early detection, patient endotyping, and individualized, stage-specific therapies. Their lead article—and accompanying hub publications—explore how systems immunology approaches to improve sepsis outcomes could also yield insights into severe COVID-19 and inform pathogen-agnostic strategies for future pandemic preparedness.
Lead article
Expert insights
ARTICLE EVENT
Discussion with the article authors
Experts delved into how systems immunology could revolutionize sepsis diagnosis and treatment at a virtual Frontiers Forum Deep Dive session on 25 March 2025.
Frontiers in Science Editorial
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Evolving concepts in sepsis: we are making progress!
Progress in sepsis care hinges on improved patient characterization through systems immunology, precision treatment approaches, innovative trial designs, and global collaboration of multiple stakeholders, asserts Prof Jean-Louis Vincent, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
Frontiers in Science Viewpoint
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Transforming sepsis heterogeneity: challenges and progress
Artificial intelligence and machine learning could transform sepsis care, integrating patient phenotypes and endotypes to guide precision therapies and predict organ dysfunction, emphasize Prof R. Phillip Dellinger and Jason Bartock, Cooper Medical School and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, USA.
Frontiers in Science Viewpoint
Published on 18 Mar 2025
The challenge of sepsis
Elucidating similarities between sepsis, long COVID, post-sepsis syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome could reveal shared mechanisms of immune dysfunction and inform new treatments, asserts Prof Jon Cohen, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, United Kingdom.
POLICY OUTLOOK
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Investing in sepsis science for future pandemic preparedness
Global health policies must prioritize investments in sepsis R&D as a cornerstone of pandemic preparedness and response, urge Dr Mariam Jashi, Global Sepsis Alliance, Georgia, and Prof Niranjan Kissoon, Global Sepsis Alliance and University of British Columbia, Canada.
Key points
Sepsis, a complex and heterogeneous immune dysregulation syndrome triggered by infection, is a major under-recognized global cause of mortality and of pandemic-related deaths.
The multifaceted nature of sepsis requires systems immunology approaches such as comprehensive omics investigations and high-end bioinformatics analyses, including machine learning.
Systems immunology is beginning to transform sepsis care toward precision medicine approaches, including diagnostics to enable early detection and immune-directed therapies tailored for specific sepsis subtypes (endotypes) and stages in disease trajectories over time.
Advances in epigenetics could inform future therapies against long-term post-sepsis syndrome and long COVID.
Research and development toward precision sepsis care should be at the heart of pandemic mitigation planning to provide a pathogen-agnostic means to reduce mortality.
For all readers
EXPLAINER
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Systems immunology is the key to solving sepsis
A summary of the lead article in a Q&A format, with infographics and a video.
Frontiers for Young Minds
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Sepsis: Using Computers to Understand a Life-Threatening Condition
A version of the lead article written for—and peer reviewed by—kids aged 8-15 years.
News
PRESS RELEASE
Published on 30 Jan 2025
How tackling sepsis can save millions of lives — and prevent future pandemic deaths
Understanding the different types of immune dysregulation that cause sepsis will let us target treatments, lower future death tolls, and prevent lingering illness like long COVID-19.
NEWS STORY
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Decoding Sepsis with Systems Immunology
In a featured article published in Frontiers in Science, Prof Bob Hancock (University of British Columbia, Vancouver) with researchers from leading Canadian institutions describe how a bioinformatic systems immunology approach can transform the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis, signifying a major step toward greater pandemic preparedness.
NEWS STORY
Published on 30 Jan 2025
Tackling sepsis ‘key to saving lives in a pandemic’
Mathematical modelling may hold the key to saving patients from sepsis, a deadly complication that causes about 20 per cent of all deaths worldwide.
PRESS RELEASE
Published on 13 Feb 2025
GSA Leaders in Frontiers: How Sepsis R&D Can Reduce Pandemic-related Deaths
Frontiers in Science published a Policy Outlook titled Investing in sepsis science for future pandemic preparedness, authored by Dr. Mariam Jashi and Prof. Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon on behalf of the Global Sepsis Alliance.