Mice are protected from sepsis-induced death by an APC variant that lacks its anticlotting activity (circle).

The only drug that can save patients from severe sepsis carries a risk of internal bleeding. Kerschen et al. (page 2439) have now engineered a variant version that offers the same benefits as the original but minimizes the risk.

Sepsis is a system-wide inflammation that occurs when an infecting microbe enters the bloodstream. The inflammation is meant to fight the pathogen, but it also triggers widespread clotting. Clotting proteins, in turn, reinforce inflammation by activating oxidants and proteases, ultimately causing organ failure. Because the exact cause of death in sepsis patients is unknown, scientists don't know what problem to target when designing an effective therapy.

Antiinflammatory agents such as steroids and cytokine antagonists have failed as therapies. So too have anticlotting agents. The only treatment that has had...

The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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