Enhancing sepsis management

Sepsis is a heterogeneous syndrome defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Despite major improvements in patient care, the incidence of sepsis is rising, demonstrating the need to identify biomarkers and targets that can be used to develop personalized sepsis medicine.

Combining preclinical mouse models of sepsis with clinical studies, we contribute to the understanding of host defense mechanisms and the pathophysiology of sepsis and the identification of sepsis biomarkers (such as the myeloid-derived suppressors cells, MDSCs). In a proof-of-concept study, we have demonstrated the feasibility to target innate immune receptors (i.e. Toll-like receptor 4) to combat sepsis. In Switzerland, we launched the Swiss Sepsis National Action Plan (SSNAP; see www.sgi-ssmi.ch/fr/news-detail/items/plan-daction-national-suisse-contre-sepsis.html) to raise awareness of sepsis among the general public and governing bodies. With European collaborators, we have set up the European Sepsis Academy (EU H2020 funding) to train a generation of young scientist and physicians in sepsis. As a culmination of years of research, we are running the H2020 ImmunoSep (https://www.immunosep.eu) and H2020 HDM-FUN (https://www.hdm-fun.eu) clinical trials applying personalized immunotherapy in sepsis and fungal infection.

• Didier Le Roy, research associate (PhD)
• Tiia Snäkä, research associate (PhD)
• Théa Chevalley, technician (Mater)

• Prof. Thierry Calandra, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Prof. Jean-Daniel Chiche, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Prof. Evangelos Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
• Prof Eric Giannoni, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
• PD Dr Sylvain Meylan, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Prof. Mihai Netea, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• Prof. Luregn Schlapbach, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
• Prof. Frank L. van de Veerdonk, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

• Nikolaos Antonakos, research associate (MD, PhD)
• Eleonora Ciarlo, research associate (PhD)
• Juan Francisco García Arriaza, research associate (PhD)
• Athina Savva, research associate (MD, PhD)
• Gaelle Vacher, research associate (Dr Pharm, PhD)
• Anne-Laure Chanson, technician
• Silvia Ferreira, technician
• Marlies Knaup Reymond, technician
• Fatemeh Asgari, PhD student
• Céline Froidevaux, MD-PhD student
• Jacobus Herderschee, PhD student
• Jérôme Lugrin, PhD student
• Vera Peters, PhD student
• Irene Schrijver, PhD student
• Charlotte Théroude, PhD student
• Irma de Bruim, medical student, internship
• Pieter-Jan Gijs, medical student, internship
• Mathieu Halfon, medical student, internship
• Jaap Herderschee, medical student, internship
• Ahmad Al Salman, summer undergraduate research (SUR) student
• Valentina Bart, SUR student