Intrapleural therapy with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and deoxyribonuclease (DNase) has been established as an alternative to surgery, with the multicentre intrapleural sepsis trial (MIST-2) and subsequent studies demonstrating promising treatment success rates [5, 6], as defined by radiographic clearance and avoiding surgical intervention for pleural infection. The gene discussed is PLAT; the disease is Sepsis.