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yesterday

First-Trimester RNA Liquid Biopsy Flags Preeclampsia Risk Months Before Onset

It moves into clinical validation to pave the way for routine prenatal screening within the next year.

Image
This Nov. 2005 file photo shows future parents awaiting the arrival of their first child in Carlsbad, Calif. When you're expecting a baby, you hope nothing goes wrong. But at least one in 20 pregnant patients develops a scary complication called preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder that kills 70,000 women and 500,000 babies worldwide every year. New blood tests promise to help doctors predict and manage the condition. (AP Photo/Julie Busch, file)

Overview

  • Researchers demonstrated that a cfRNA model predicted early-onset preeclampsia with 83% sensitivity and 90% specificity on average 18 weeks before clinical diagnosis.
  • The test also forecasted late-onset preeclampsia on average 14.9 weeks before onset by identifying a distinct molecular signature.
  • Transcriptomic analyses revealed widespread multi-organ molecular changes in early-onset cases and localized immune and liver pathway alterations in late-onset preeclampsia.
  • The study analyzed cfRNA from 548 plasma samples collected from 216 pregnant people at multiple time points in the first and second trimesters and at diagnosis.
  • With the manuscript under peer review, the research team has begun prospective clinical trials and submitted regulatory applications to integrate cfRNA screening into standard prenatal care.