Breakthrough: Indian scientist Pinaki Panigrahi finds cure to 'sepsis' disease in infants

New Delhi : An American professor of Indian origin has developed a breakthrough therapy to combat sepsis, a condition of bacterial infection that spreads fast and leads to organ failure.

The disease kills over 600,000 infants every year. 

The details about therapy developed by Pinaki Panigrahi has been published in Nature this week. 

According to a report by 'The Hindu', the therapy reduces the risk of infection by 40% in trials and it can be inexpensive — less than one dollar for a course.

What is Sepsis therapy?

Under the therapy, infants are fed with good bacteria that blocks harmful bacterias. The probiotic bacterial strain is aided with a non-absorbable sugar to enhance its ability to effectively colonise the gut — researchers call the probiotic-sugar combination a synbiotic.

Dr. Panigrahi - the man behind the therapy - said he is happy with the outcome of the research that began in 2008. 

“Apart from saving babies from sepsis and respiratory tract infection, this type of intervention has much bigger and wider ramifications. The most relevant is its impact on stunting,” said Dr. Panigrahi.