Sepsis is a life-threatening condition, and the third leading cause of neonatal mortality worldwide. In the U.S., there are about 1.75M suspected cases each year, accounting for 60% of NICU admissions. Current sepsis diagnostics rely on painful blood draws that can take days to deliver results – often leading to unnecessary antibiotic use.
A team of Wyss faculty and staff led by Wyss Core Faculty member David Walt is creating a faster, gentler way to detect sepsis in newborns. NeoSense is a new test that uses a tiny sample of saliva instead of blood, powered by advanced single-molecule detection and AI. This could allow doctors to quickly and accurately identify sepsis in newborns – without the wait or the needle.