#86 Sepsis, Speed and Saving Lives with Dr. Rolland Carlson: Gene Signatures, Clinical Trials, and the Future of Infection Detection

Dr. Rolland “Rollie” Carlson, CEO of Immunexpress is a veteran of the molecular diagnostics space. With over 25 years of leadership across Abbott, WaferGen, Asuragen, and more, Rollie is now focused on solving one of healthcare’s most urgent crises: Sepsis.In this episode, we explore why sepsis, despite causing more than 48 million deaths annually remains so poorly understood and misdiagnosed. Rollie breaks down why early detection is so difficult, how gene expression profiling can finally distinguish between infectious and non-infectious inflammation and the real-world barriers to clinical trial design, FDA approval and physician adoption. We also cover military use cases, the lack of gold standards in sepsis diagnostics and what needs to change in how hospitals are incentivised to tackle this conditionTimestamps:[00:00:26] Why Sepsis Remains Underdiagnosed Globally[00:01:42] What Sepsis Actually Is and Why It's So Deadly[00:03:14] Who’s Most at Risk: Age, Immunity, and Beyond[00:04:25] Detecting Sepsis Through Gene Expression[00:05:39] Why Blood Cultures Aren’t Enough Anymore[00:09:14] FDA Approval Without a Gold Standard: The Regulatory Maze[00:12:39] Sepsis Isn’t Always Bacterial and Why That Matters[00:15:20] How Physicians Are Reacting to New Molecular Tools[00:17:35] Beyond Sepsis: Expansion Into Infectious Diseases[00:18:57] From Marine Biologist to Diagnostics PioneerGet in touch with Rollie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rollie-carlson-ph-d-059074a/ Learn more about Immunexpress - https://immunexpress.com/ Get in touch with Karandeep Badwal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/karandeepbadwal/ Follow Karandeep on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@KarandeepBadwalSubscribe to the Podcast