VolitionRx Shares Details and Video of DETECSEPS Sepsis Program Launch in France

• The DETECSEPS program evaluates 1,000 emergency department patients presenting with suspected infections under real-world clinical conditions.
• The diagnostic strategy couples the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2 with VolitionRx’s Nu.Q® NETs H3.1 blood biomarker, measured automatically via the IDS i10 instrument.
• Initiated by the IHU Sepsis and led by Professor Djillali Annane, the project seeks to accelerate interventions, prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, and streamline emergency department workflows.

Clinical Rationale and the Burden of Sepsis

Sepsis remains a devastating medical emergency defined by a dysregulated host response to infection that triggers life-threatening organ dysfunction. Global estimates indicate that the condition accounts for 21 million deaths annually. Because rapid identification directly impacts clinical outcomes, emergency physicians face constant pressure to identify subtle warning signs before irreversible organ failure cascades. Patients who present with systemic inflammatory symptoms often look stable on arrival, making early triage notoriously difficult for frontline medical staff.

To address this diagnostic gap, the DETECSEPS consortium designed a multi-layered evaluation strategy. Initiated by the IHU Sepsis and directed by Professor Djillali Annane at the Raymond-Poincare Hospital AP-HP, the project coordinates efforts across multiple institutions. The AP-HP acts as the trial promoter and coordinating body, working alongside the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL) and diagnostic developers IDS France and VolitionRx Limited.

Evaluating the Nu.Q® NETs and NEWS2 Protocol

The diagnostic pathway deployed across the 1,000-patient trial relies on two primary pillars: rapid clinical scoring and automated biomarker quantification. Upon arrival at the emergency department, clinicians evaluate patients using the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2 to gauge physiological stability. Blood samples are then analyzed using VolitionRx’s Nu.Q® NETs H3.1 biomarker assay, which quantifies NETosis—a form of neutrophil extracellular trap formation closely tied to the pathogenesis of sepsis. IDS France provides the automated i10 instrument to process these samples rapidly and accurately.

For clinicians managing high-volume emergency departments, identifying high-risk individuals early can alter the trajectory of acute care. Professor Marion Douplat, Head of the Emergency Department at Lyon South Hospital – HCL, emphasized the clinical urgency: “Sepsis remains one of the main medical emergencies we face daily. Every hour gained in its identification can have a major impact on patient prognosis. With DETECSEPS, we want to cross a new stage by combining the clinical evaluation carried out upon arrival at the emergency departments with an innovative biomarker, Nu.Q® NETs, allowing earlier identification of at-risk patients.”

The operational framework builds upon years of translational research. This ongoing validation pipeline supports clinical translation from research laboratories directly into routine hospital workflows.

Pathways for Care Coordination and Diagnostics

If the 1,000-patient trial yields positive results, the validated workflow could fundamentally reshape emergency admissions by accelerating targeted antibiotic therapy for high-risk cohorts while safely discharging low-risk individuals.