T2 Biosystems CEO Shares Personal Heart Transplant and Sepsis Survival Story in Newly Released Book
All proceeds from the book sale will be donated to Sepsis Alliance and Donate Life America
LEXINGTON, Mass., March 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — T2 Biosystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTOO), a leader in the rapid detection of sepsis-causing pathogens, today announced that CEO John Sperzel released a book about his personal experience with a bloodstream infection (BSI) and sepsis, titled “Courage: Powerful Lessons in Leadership, Strength, and the Will to Succeed.”
“Courage,” part captivating memoir, part inspiring call to action, details Sperzel’s gripping story from a diagnosis of giant cell myocarditis – a rare and fatal condition diagnosed less than 300 times in medical history – through numerous surgeries and being placed on life support, to a heart transplant, and ultimately a BSI which caused sepsis – a condition that is much more common.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that at least 1.7 million people in the United States develop sepsis, and nearly 270,000 Americans die each year as a result of sepsis. The annual cost of sepsis care for patients in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities is more than $62 billion according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, making sepsis the number one cost of hospitalization. According to a study in The Lancet, nearly 11 million people died from sepsis globally in 2017 alone, representing nearly 20 percent of all global deaths.
As a result of his BSI and sepsis, Sperzel’s treatment included numerous antibiotics as well as a hospital readmission to ultimately address the hospital-acquired infection. Sperzel spent nearly two months in the hospital intensive care unit, followed by a month in a rehabilitation facility to learn to walk again.
“My hope is that sharing my personal experience will help to raise awareness about sepsis and shed light on why we must change the standard of care for patients at risk of sepsis. Current treatment protocols rely on blood culture, which can take days, and the use of broad spectrum antibiotics, which studies show is only optimal in 30-60 percent of cases,” said Sperzel. “The use of culture-independent rapid diagnostic tests to detect sepsis-causing pathogens is essential, as each hour of delayed targeted treatment can increase mortality by up to 8 percent.”
T2 Biosystems is the company behind the T2Bacteria® Panel and T2Candida® Panel, the only FDA-cleared assays for the detection of sepsis-causing bacterial and fungal pathogens directly from whole blood in three to five hours, without the need to wait days for blood culture results. By providing rapid results, T2 Biosystems’ sepsis panels enable clinicians to initiate targeted therapy faster, often before the second dose of antimicrobial is administered, leading to better patient outcomes, improved antimicrobial stewardship, and reductions in length of stay in the hospital.
“I am so grateful to my heart donor, and to those who worked hard to save my life before and after my heart transplant,” said Sperzel. “I believe more people need access to T2 Biosystems’ technology because it can be a game-changer in the treatment of patients at risk of sepsis.”
About T2 Biosystems
T2 Biosystems, a leader in the rapid detection of sepsis-causing pathogens, is dedicated to improving patient care and reducing the cost of care by helping clinicians effectively treat patients faster than ever before. T2 Biosystems’ products include the T2Dx® Instrument, T2Candida® Panel, the T2Bacteria® Panel, the T2Resistance™ Panel, and the T2SARS-CoV-2™ Panel and are powered by the proprietary T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR®) technology. T2 Biosystems has an active pipeline of future products, including the T2Cauris™ Panel, and T2Lyme™ Panel, as well as additional products for the detection of bacterial and fungal pathogens and associated antimicrobial resistance markers, and biothreat pathogens.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the ability of the T2Bacteria Panel and T2Candida Panel to improve patient outcomes, antimicrobial stewardship and reductions in length of stay, as well as statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan”, “believe”, “project”, “forecast”, “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate,” and similar statements of a future or forward looking nature. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, (i) any inability to (a) realize anticipated benefits from commitments, contracts or products; (b) successfully execute strategic priorities; (c) bring products to market; (d) expand product usage or adoption; (e) obtain customer testimonials; (f) accurately predict growth assumptions; (g) realize anticipated revenues; (h) incur expected levels of operating expenses; or (i) increase the number of high-risk patients at customer facilities; (ii) failure of early data to predict eventual outcomes; (iii) failure to make or obtain anticipated FDA filings or clearances within expected time frames or at all; or (iv) the factors discussed under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 16, 2020, and other filings the Company makes with the SEC from time to time. These and other important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While the Company may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, unless required by law, it disclaims any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause its views to change. Thus, no one should assume that the Company’s silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Media Contact:
Amanda Michelson, Vault Communications
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Investor Contact:
Philip Trip Taylor, Gilmartin Group
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415-937-5406
