Sepsis Treatment is the Focus of New Study by Fohner and Colleagues
Posted: 11/26/2023 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliate Dr. Alison Fohner (Epidemiology) and co-authors recently published their research in Critical Care Explorations, titled “Pharmacologic and Genetic Downregulation of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 and Survival From Sepsis“. Circulating lipid and protein assemblies—lipoproteins play critical roles in clearing pathogens from the bloodstream. Authors investigated whether early inhibition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) may accelerate bloodstream clearance of immunogenic bacterial lipids and improve sepsis outcomes.
Their research design included genetic and clinical epidemiology, and experimental models. Nine human cohorts with sepsis (total n = 12,514) were assessed for an association between sepsis mortality and PCSK9 loss-of-function (LOF) variants. Across human cohort studies, the effect estimate for 28-day mortality after sepsis diagnosis associated with genetic PCSK9 LOF was odds ratio = 0.86 (95% CI, 0.67–1.10; p = 0.24). A significant association was present in antibiotic-treated patients. Sepsis therapies are urgently needed and further investigation into the role of PCSK9 in sepsis is needed.