POISE Wisconsin: Primary and Oncology Integration for Survivorship Equity in Wisconsin

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that is difficult to diagnose quickly in critically ill patients. Current tests, such as microbial cultures, are slow and often lack sensitivity, which delays treatment and increases risks. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has emerged as a noninvasive screening tool for multiple diseases. This project examined its potential application for diagnosing and monitoring sepsis. The researchers demonstrated that differences in cfDNA fragmentation patterns can distinguish sepsis patients from non-infectious ICU patients. They also developed strategies to estimate the relative contributions of different tissues to plasma cfDNA and infer the site of infection in sepsis patients.