TOWSON, MD and JERUSALEM, ISRAEL--(Marketwired - Sep 13, 2015) - LeukoDx, developers of a compact device for diagnosing life-threatening sepsis, is joining doctors, hospitals, healthcare systems, non-profit organizations, individuals and other companies in its sector, to increase global awareness of the danger of sepsis -- and the need to do more to combat it.

"Although unknown to most people, sepsis is actually a main cause of death," explains Julien Meissonnier, President and CEO of LeukoDx. "According the the Global Sepsis Alliance, it is more common than heart disease and kills more than any cancer. One third of people being treated in an intensive care unit in developed countries will die from it, while sepsis accounts for 60-80% of all death in developing countries. It has been estimated that earlier diagnosis with better treatment could save 92,000 lives per year in the US alone."

Sepsis can follow an infection initiated by bacteria, fungi or other pathogens. In a normal case, infection triggers a host response in the body which includes the activation of neutrophils -- a special type of white blood cells responsible for fighting infection. In some patients, however, the immune response simply spins out of control and creates serious complications, which rapidly lead to organ failure and death. As such, one of the most critical challenges in the medical world today is the ability to diagnose sepsis early, before it becomes life-threatening.

LeukoDx is currently preparing to launch its CE-Marked, proprietary, fully-automated Accellix™ point-of-need flow cytometer, leveraging its CD64 cartridge to provide results in less than 30 minutes. The detection of infection and elevated neutrophil activation using the CD64 index helps doctors make faster decisions for the treatment of patients who are at high risk of subsequently developing sepsis.

About LeukoDx Inc.
LeukoDx's mission is to deliver cost-effective, highly sensitive and actionable diagnostic information at the point of care via a novel automated IVD flow cytometry platform. Founded in 2009, LeukoDx's technology is based on technology initially developed for NASA at CalTech. To date, the Company has developed a compact reader for single use test-specific cartridges, and an application for the rapid confirmation of sepsis, a condition associated with high morbidity and mortality with no existing reliable diagnostic solution.