A drug developed in Brisbane could treat one of the world’s biggest killers for the first time, and save millions of lives.
The carbohydrate-based molecule called STC3141 has successfully helped reduce sepsis in human trials.
Researchers at Griffith University, including Professor Mark von Itzstein AO, were behind the development.
“It’s hoped we could see the treatment reach the market in a handful of years, potentially saving millions of lives,” Von Itzstein said.
Sepsis – which occurs when the immune system damages organs during infection – accounts for about one in five deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation.
It kills thousands of people a year in Australia and there is no known cure.
The drug was trialled on 180 people in China by Hong Kong-based giant Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited. It will now move to stage-three testing.
Developers say it reverses organ damage by counteracting a significant biological molecule release that occurs during sepsis.
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