New funding from Genome BC will enable Sirius Genomics Inc. to refine treatment for blood poisoning.
Sirius is developing a biomarker that would assess how responsive a patient is likely to be to recombinant human activated protein C – the only drug approved for severe sepsis, according to Kamran Alam, Sirius’ senior director of business development.
According to the company, 100,000 cases of sepsis (commonly known as blood poisoning) are diagnosed annually in Canada alone and 30% to 70% of cases result in death.
“We’re looking for who is more likely than not to respond favourably to this drug,” Alam said. “It’s a very interesting drug in that, in early days of giving it, there’s no outward signs that it’s working; but when it works, it truly works.”
Alam said the company’s project is designed to give physicians the information they need about whether to prescribe the drug when a patient is suffering from severe sepsis and multiple organs are failing.
“Physicians are trying everything to keep these people alive,” he said. “So this just gives them, hopefully, that initial piece of information that gives them the confidence to give the drug to the right patient at the right time – and then that patient will hopefully respond and we reduce deaths from this condition.”
Alam said the company hopes to have its biomarker validation study completed this year.
“We’re then armed with the data to determine what’s next,” he said. “If it’s very strong, we’re going to start working on the commercialization aspects of the project.
Jenny Wagler
@JennyWagler_BIV