CHENNAI: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed an instrument that can predict in real time onset of sepsis, by continuous monitoring and measuring one of its indicators.

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition when the body’s extreme response to an infection triggers inflammation, causes one in five deaths globally. In 2017, an estimated 50 million people were diagnosed with it.

The device works on microfluidic-based chip technology which uses sound waves, chemical probes, microfluidic mixer and reactor and laser to measure levels of certain gaseous molecules in blood plasma. The team has applied for a patent and is looking for an industry partner to manufacture a prototype to validate the technology already tested on animals.