Development of ease-of-use flow cytometric system for multi-pathogen detection

败血症在英国造成3万人死亡，每年花费NHS 4亿英镑。它在医学界之外鲜为人知，但它是心脏病和癌症之外住院患者的第三大常见死因。当血液中的感染使免疫系统失去平衡时，就会发生败血症，这个系统开始攻击身体而不是保护它。许多感染可能会引发败血症，但使用正确的抗生素快速治疗通常可以防止它变成严重的败血症。技术战略委员会正在支持一组教学医院（圣托马斯和纽卡斯尔）与BD（一家总部位于牛津的美国医疗公司）合作开发一种快速检测方法，帮助医生在疾病的关键早期阶段选择正确的治疗方法。这将挽救生命，减少败血症给NHS带来的巨大成本。

Sepsis kills 30 000 people in the UK and costs the NHS £400 million per year. It is little known outside the medical profession but is the third most common cause of death in hospitalised patients outside of heart disease and cancer. It happens when an infection in the bloodstream tips the immune system out of balance and this system starts to attack the body rather than protect it. Many infections can potentially trigger sepsis but rapid treatment with the right antibiotic can often prevent it turning into serious sepsis. The Technology Strategy Board is supporting a group of teaching hospitals (St Thomas’s & Newcastle) in their work with BD (a US Heathcare Company with a base in Oxford) to develop a rapid test which can help doctors choose the right treatment during the critical early stages of the disease. This will save lives and reduce the huge cost of sepsis to the NHS.