New blood-cleansing device removes pathogens, toxins from blood

jan_jes writes: A team of scientists at the Wyss Institute last year described the development of a device to treat sepsis that works by mimicking the human spleen. The device cleanses pathogens and toxins from blood flowing through a dialysis-like circuit. Now the team has developed an improved device that works with conventional antibiotic therapies and is better positioned for near-term use in clinics. The improved design is described in the October issue of Biomaterials. This approach can be administered quickly, even without identifying the infectious agent.