Immunexpress Announces Adoption of SeptiCyte® RAPID by FirstHealth of the Carolinas

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Jul 20, 2023, 08:00 ET

FirstHealth is among other early adopters integrating the recently FDA cleared SeptiCyte RAPID® test into their hospital sepsis clinical workflow to address diagnostic uncertainty and improve sepsis awareness and bundle compliance.

SEATTLE and BRISBANE, Australia, July 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Immunexpress, Pty Ltd., a molecular diagnostic company focused on improving outcomes for patients suspected of sepsis, announced today the adoption of SeptiCyte® RAPID by FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a non-profit health system licensed for four hospitals in Pinehurst, Troy, Rockingham and Raeford, North Carolina.

SeptiCyte RAPID will be available at FirstHealth as a tool in differentiating sepsis-positive cases from patients with infection negative systemic inflammation. "It's a very easy test to run, so from the lab point of view, it's been simple to implement," noted Kimberly Starr, PhD, assistant director, microbiology at FirstHealth of the Carolinas.

"After my involvement in the clinical validation of SeptiCyte RAPID, I wanted to bring SeptiCyte RAPID to our hospital because we believe it has a role in helping us identify true sepsis cases earlier, with the expectation that with earlier identification we can mitigate the severity of a sepsis episode or progression to septic shock," commented Russell R. Miller III, MD, MPH, medical director of critical care services at FirstHealth.

"Dr. Miller has played an integral role in pioneering SeptiCyte RAPID in clinical trials, and now its early adoption at FirstHealth to aid in the diagnosis of sepsis in the critical care setting," said Rollie Carlson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Immunexpress. "SeptiCyte RAPID fills a largely unmet need for the rapid diagnosis of patients with escalating signs and symptoms of sepsis and the test provides clinicians with actionable results in approximately one hour from a simple blood draw. We look forward to contributing to improved patient outcomes for individuals suspected of sepsis, and to the rollout of SeptiCyte RAPID in healthcare systems in the United States and beyond."

About SeptiCyte® RAPID

SeptiCyte® RAPID is a sample-to-answer, cartridge-based, host response molecular test for sepsis using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to quantify the relative expression levels of host response genes isolated from whole blood. SeptiCyte® RAPID is used in conjunction with clinical assessments, vital signs and laboratory findings as an aid to differentiate infection-positive (sepsis) from infection-negative systemic inflammation response syndromes in patients with escalating signs and symptoms of critical illness. SeptiCyte® RAPID generates a score (SeptiScore®) that falls within four discrete interpretation bands based on the increasing likelihood of sepsis. SeptiCyte® RAPID is intended for in-vitro diagnostic use and runs on the Biocartis Idylla™ Platform, and Immunexpress has a commercialization partnership with Biocartis in Europe.

SeptiCyte® RAPID is CE Marked as a near-patient sample-to-answer test in European Union (EU) member countries and those harmonized with the EU IVD Directive (98/79/EC). As of November 2021, SeptiCyte® RAPID has been FDA cleared for use in hospitalized patients suspected of sepsis.

About Immunexpress

Immunexpress is a molecular diagnostic company, based in Brisbane and Seattle, committed to improving outcomes for patients suspected of sepsis. Immunexpress' SeptiCyte® technology can assess a patient's dysregulated immune response by quantifying and analyzing gene expression from whole blood, providing actionable results in about an hour from sepsis suspicion, to guide the physician in optimizing patient management decisions. SeptiCyte® RAPID is a fully automated lab test for sepsis that combines SeptiCyte® technology with the ease-of-use of the revolutionary Biocartis' Idylla™ Platform; it supports differentiating infection (bacterial, viral, fungal) positive sepsis that could lead to organ dysfunction and death from patients with less serious infection negative systemic inflammation. This powerful test enhances early sepsis detection and can strongly support its diagnosis in the crucial first hour(s) that determines clinical outcome. SeptiCyte® RAPID also has potential to reduce sepsis associated healthcare costs.

For more information, visit http://www.septicyte.com and http://www.immunexpress.com/. Follow Immunexpress on Twitter and LinkedIn.

FirstHealth of the Carolinas, a private, not-for-profit health care system, is headquartered in Pinehurst. Its more than 5,600 employees serve 15 counties in the mid-Carolinas. Licensed for four hospitals with 610 beds, the health system offers specialty and subspecialty care and technologies that are typically exclusive to academic institutions in larger metropolitan areas. The system includes Reid Heart Center, a brand-new outpatient cancer center, facilities for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, hospice & palliative care, home care, community outreach programs, behavioral health services, fitness facilities, concierge, primary and convenient care practices, a hospitality house, EMS and critical care transport services, a philanthropic foundation and a host of other services. FirstHealth demonstrates a commitment to treating the whole patient and improving the health of the communities it serves.

Media Contacts:
Scott Stachowiak
Russo Partners, LLC
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Maddie Stabinski
Russo Partners, LLC
[email protected]

Gretchen Kelly
FirstHealth of the Carolinas
[email protected]

SOURCE Immunexpress, Inc.