Early prediction of preeclampsia using a blood-derived biomarker

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Context:

A liquid-biopsy approach that measures DNA-methylation levels in the blood may improve the detection of pregnancies at risk of developing preeclampsia at early stages, according to a study.

Preeclampsia:

Preeclampsia is a major cause of morbidities during gestation.
Early-onset preeclampsia — occurring before 34 weeks of gestation — is associated with a higher risk of severe disease and foetal mortality.
Low-dose aspirin at early stages of the disease (before 16 weeks of gestation) can reduce the risk of developing preeclampsia, but early identification of the disease is needed to initiate this intervention.
Previous studies have shown that widespread methylation changes in the placenta occur at delivery.

Liquid biopsy:

Liquid biopsy is a promising emerging tool for non-invasive diagnostics for preeclampsia.
The researchers detected differences in DNA methylation in the control pregnancies versus the pregnancies that developed preeclampsia.
The preliminary results suggest that cell-free DNA methylation profiling is a promising tool for presymptomatic PE risk assessment, and has the potential to improve treatment and follow-up in the obstetric clinic.

Biomarker:

It generally refers to a measurable indicator of some biological state or condition. Biomarkers are often measured and evaluated to examine normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention.

Application:

Biochemical biomarkers are often used in clinical trials, where they are derived from bodily fluids that are easily available to the early phase researchers.
They are also used in pre-clinical work to identify compounds that appear to modulate disease in in vivo models and therefore might be tried in human clinical trials.
Disease-related biomarkers give an indication of the probable effect of treatment on patients.