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Faster and more accurate diagnostics to improve survival rates

The work of EMPIR project Metrology to enable rapid and accurate clinical measurements in acute management of sepsis (18HLT03, SEPTIMET) has contributed to a global study outlined in a press release from the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) describing high accuracy, potentially SI traceable, measurement to support COVID-19 diagnostic tests. This project was originally designed to improve the speed, accuracy and reproducibility of diagnostic tests for the identification and treatment of sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition where time to diagnosis is critical to patient outcome.

As COVID-19 patients can also develop sepsis during their infection, it was decided in early 2020 to include SARSCoV-2, the viral cause of COVID-19, as an additional model system in the project. This enabled NMIs and stakeholders to develop the capacity to support more accurate COVID-19 diagnosis through the provision of accurate measurements of external quality assurance (EQA) materials used by clinical diagnostic laboratories to deliver confidence. Moreover the success of this work for COVID-19 has meant that similar methods are being deployed to improve the accuracy of diagnosis of other causes of SEPSIS such as E. coli and MRSA, with value assignment of EQA materials and plans for inter-laboratory studies underway. This work could represent a significant improvement in the accuracy of molecular diagnostic testing.

BIPM press release: National Measurement Institutes demonstrate high accuracy reference measurement system for SARS-CoV-2 testing

This EMPIR project is co-funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the EMPIR Participating States.

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