Substance for the Treatment of Sepsis Discovered by Domestic Researchers

Domestic researchers have discovered a substance for the medical treatment of sepsis, an incurable illness known as blood poisoning. On January 12, Professor Song Dong-guen and Huh Sung-oh from Institute of Natural Medicine at Hallym Medical School published an article stating that: “We found a prominently potent substance for medical treatment of sepsis, and we have also discovered the action mechanism.” Nature Medicine, a world-renowned medical magazine, reported the research on January 12.

Sepsis is a disease that injures the immune system of the human body by propagating bacteria in the blood. It is characterized by a high mortality rate of approximately 30 to 50 percent.

Professors Song and Huh began their sepsis research after chancing upon the protective function of Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) for brain cells during brain research work. Laboratory mice suffering from blood poisoning had a high survival rate of 90 percent over the course of ten days when treated with LPC.

“LPC increases the capacity of an immunity cell that removes a germ in blood, which raises a surviving rate when one is inflicted with sepsis,” Professor Huh announced. “Thus, we are able to innovate more effective sepsis medicine.”

The market for sepsis treatments is expected to grow from its current level of one billion dollars to four billion dollars in 2011. The research was jointly completed together with Bio Synergen, a bio venture. It was sponsored by a special institute of brain research led by Kim, Kyung-jin that is classified as a frontier project by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

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