PREECLAMPSIA
- SCI & TECH
News: Early prediction of preeclampsia
using a blood-derived biomarker
What's
in the news?
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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:
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Preeclampsia is a major cause of morbidities during gestation.
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Early-onset preeclampsia — occurring
before 34 weeks of gestation — is associated with a higher risk of severe
disease and foetal mortality.
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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.
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Previous studies have shown that
widespread methylation changes in the placenta occur at delivery.
Liquid
biopsy:
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Liquid biopsy is a promising emerging tool
for non-invasive diagnostics for
preeclampsia.
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The researchers detected differences in
DNA methylation in the control pregnancies versus the pregnancies that
developed preeclampsia.
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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:
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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:
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Biochemical biomarkers are often used in clinical trials, where they are derived
from bodily fluids that are easily available to the early phase researchers.
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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.
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Disease-related biomarkers give an
indication of the probable effect of treatment on patients.