Melbourne, Fla. – June 30, 2023 – The Preeclampsia Foundation is seeking Letters of Intent for the Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants funding program, designed to accelerate preeclampsia research. The ultimate goal of this grant program is to drive research that will eliminate the delivery of pre-term babies as an intervention for severe preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Named for the infant son of preeclampsia survivor Lauren Pappas and her husband Clement, the program seeks to award multiple two-year grants in 2024 totaling up to $200,000.

Eligible applicants should focus on the current research gaps identified through a 2020 preeclampsia workshop jointly sponsored by the Preeclampsia Foundation and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine. Examples of such proposals include but are not limited to understanding pathophysiological pathways and subtypes of preeclampsia, mechanisms for improved diagnosis or prediction, therapeutic interventions to halt, reverse, or prevent the placental and organ dysfunction associated with the condition, and supporting preconception and inter-conception health to improve perinatal outcomes. In addition to meeting the fund’s research criteria, preference will be given to proposals that use or build upon data available through the Preeclampsia Registry™ (self-reported, whole exome sequenced, and clinical data), or that will produce data or biological materials that can be added to the Registry. All criteria are outlined in the application instructions, available at www.preeclampsia.org/research-funding.

The grant is named after the son of Lauren and Clement Pappas, who was delivered at 29-weeks due to severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. The program has funded almost a dozen studies, including innovative research into potential therapeutics, genetic markers, and the role of placental functioning in preeclampsia’s development.

“We lost our son Peter due to preeclampsia following a 29-week delivery,” explained Lauren Pappas. “Since then we have dedicated our lives to helping others avoid the same outcome by establishing the Peter Joseph Pappas Fund.”

“Thanks to generous contributions from family and friends, and our partnership with the Preeclampsia Foundation, we are making strides to reach our ultimate goal of eliminating pre-term births due to preeclampsia by 2050,” added Clement Pappas.

The Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants program adds to the Preeclampsia Foundation’s portfolio of research programs including the Vision Grant program for young investigators, and the Preeclampsia Registry, a dynamic database of research participants including preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome survivors, family members, and controls (unaffected individuals).

Complete details can be found online at www.preeclampsia.org/research-funding. Letters of intent are due by Friday, September 1, 2023 via email to PJPGrants@preeclampsia.org.

About the Preeclampsia Foundation

The Preeclampsia Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2000 to improve the outcomes of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by educating, supporting, and engaging the community, improving healthcare practices, and finding a cure. We envision a world where preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy no longer threaten the lives of mothers and babies. For more information, visit www.preeclampsia.org.

About the Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grant Program

Clement and Lauren Pappas of Philadelphia, PA, lost their firstborn child, Peter Joseph, after HELLP syndrome necessitated his early delivery. Their son, born at 29 weeks’ gestation, spent a week in the neonatal intensive care unit before dying from a central line infection. The Pappas family, along with friends and family, have established this special fund with the Preeclampsia Foundation to advance research, with the overarching goal of eliminating pre-term births due to preeclampsia by 2050.