An extracellular microRNA can rescue lives in sepsis.

Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a savage response of the body to infection. It can lead to organ failure, blood pressure decline, heart failure, and coma. Between 20 and 30 million people suffer from sepsis each year, leading to 8 million deaths. Although certain people are more at risk than others (young children, elderly), anyone can develop sepsis. Patients are resuscitated and treated with antibiotics, and their organ functions are supported. Despite the investment in sepsis research during the previous decades, successful clinical trials are scarce and sepsis remains one of the most difficult and deadly unmet medical needs of today. A study in this issue now provides new insight into sepsis and points to a therapeutic future [1 ].