Recently published INSPIRE study (Lancet Reginal Health, Volume 62, March 2026) explored a precision medicine approach for patients hospitalised with pneumonia who are at risk of progressing to organ dysfunction.
In this randomised phase II trial, adults with community- or hospital-acquired pneumonia, qSOFA score of 1, and elevated presepsin were treated with standard of care plus either placebo or Anakinra. The goal was to determine whether early identification of patients with high inflammatory risk could guide targeted IL-1 inhibition and improve outcomes.
Results showed that patients receiving Anakinra had:
These findings support the concept that early biomarker-guided intervention can help prevent deterioration in pneumonia patients.
Although presepsin served as the primary biomarker for patient selection in INSPIRE trial, a posthoc analysis examined the performance of serum calprotectin, and the results highlight its significant potential.
Elevated baseline calprotectin levels identified patients at higher risk for poor outcomes, including organ dysfunction and mortality. This positions calprotectin as a valuable addition to risk stratification tools.
Unlike presepsin, calprotectin levels dropped as early as Day 2 in patients treated with Anakinra, making it a sensitive, early signal of therapeutic effect. This rapid kinetic profile allows clinicians to assess treatment success sooner and more confidently.
By helping both identify the right patients and monitor whether the therapy is working, calprotectin offers unique dual utility within personalized treatment approaches.
As precision-guided therapy becomes increasingly central to the management of sepsis and severe infections, fast responding biomarkers like calprotectin may play a critical role in shaping treatment decisions, ensuring the right patients receive the right therapy at the right time.
The GCAL® assay is designed for the quantitative determination of calprotectin in plasma and serum, intended as an aid in detection and assessment of inflammation and inflammatory response to infections. As the first turbidimetric assay available since 2019, GCAL® offers distinct advantages:
Interested in implementing GCAL® in your laboratory or clinical setting? Share your details and we will contact you to discuss next steps.
* GCAL® is CE-marked under the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR 2017/746, CE 0123). It is not cleared by the U.S. FDA and is not available for sale in the United States.
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