Edison have published a report on the merits of a company named VolitionRX (NYSE:VNRX). This company is developing blood test diagnostics for diseases such as Sepsis.
Sepsis is an exceedingly dangerous infectious disease that causes multiple organ failure as I know from personal experience. A few years ago I almost died from it in Kings College Hospital. The Edison report states there are 42 million cases of Sepsis worldwide every year with 11 million deaths.
Diagnosing the disease is not easy as symptoms can be mixed and treatment with antibiotics can be delayed until it’s too late. A recently publicised case in the national media was of a teenager who died from it after a minor cycling accident. Her mother has campaigned for a right to a second medical opinion in the NHS but the key is to get the diagnosis right first time and without delay. VolitionRX may provide a solution.
Sepsis is a clinical condition that occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to a bacterial infection and begins to damage its own tissues and organs. If not diagnosed and treated quickly, it can lead to severe, often life-threatening health complications.
I personally spent three weeks in hospital after some time in the intensive care unit and suffered from intensive care neurothapy as a result which meant I had to learn to walk again. Not an experience I would like to repeat. I hope this company is successful in validating a new diagnostic for sepsis where there is clearly a large unsatisfied need.
Whether such a business is a good stock market investment is not easy to judge. They have some competitors targeting the same sector. But anyone with an interest in sepsis will find the report of interest – see https://www.edisongroup.com/research/unravelling-the-web-of-nets-in-sepsis/31224/
Roger Lawson (Twitter https://twitter.com/RogerWLawson )
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Thank you for sharing this. My wife’s nephew, 41 and extremely fit, felt unwell and went to bed, thinking he was staring ‘flu. Next morning he awoke with a rash and went straight to A&E where they immediately identified Sepsis. He was admitted and shortly afterwards sent to intensive care. The nest day he deteriorated and was being prepared for theatre where, because his blood pressure had soared uncontrollably because of the body’s auto immune response, his hands were to be amputated. He died on the way to theatre. We need research into better and less traumatic treatments. May I mention the UK Sepsis Trust which has done marvellous work in raising awareness of the disease, especially in hospitals, which enables treatment to commence earlier.
A good example of how dangerous sepsis can be. I have made a donation to the Sepsis Trust and would encourage others to do so.