Can Gene Scores Help Detect Sepsis? - Takeaways - MDSpire

Can Gene Scores Help Detect Sepsis?

Multicenter study assesses diagnostic accuracy of rapid transcriptomic testing

  • By

  • Jess Allerton

  • March 12, 2026

  • 2 min

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  • 1

    A rapid gene expression blood test accurately distinguishes sepsis from noninfectious critical illness in ICU patients.

  • 2

    The test measures expression of two host-response genes, PLA2G7 and PLAC8, generating a score from 0 to 15.

  • 3

    The assay achieved an area under the curve of 0.84, outperforming C-reactive protein and comparable to procalcitonin.

  • 4

    In the highest probability category, the test showed a 92% positive predictive value for sepsis.

  • 5

    Limitations include restriction to adults, lack of pre-admission antibiotic data, and reliance on clinical adjudication.

Original Source(s)

Can Gene Scores Help Detect Sepsis?

  • by Jess Allerton

  • March 12, 2026

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