The Preeclampsia Foundation announced the launch of a new educational resource to help obstetricians and gynecologists better understand the growing field of predictive and diagnostic tools in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The information, which is available for download on the Foundation’s website www.preeclampsia.org, covers the clinical background, pathophysiology, and use case for ratio tests on two key placental protein markers.

Preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect about 5-8% of all pregnancies but are still not fully understood. Recent research advancements suggest that preeclampsia may be related to poor placental implantation during the early stages of pregnancy, which leads to high blood pressure, organ failure, and other complications later in pregnancy. The only initial “treatment” for the condition is to deliver the baby and the placenta, but the condition can also occur or worsen up to six weeks postpartum. It is a leading cause of necessary premature birth and maternal morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and globally.

Two promising biomarkers, Placenta Growth Factor (PlGF) which is involved in the modulation of the placental and maternal vascular system and soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 receptor (sFlt-1), which antagonizes blood vessel formation and promotes endothelial dysfunction, have been developed into an in-hospital blood serum ratio test to aid in the clinical management of preeclampsia. In recent years, two of these tests from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Roche Diagnostics have received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in hospitalized pregnant patients.

“This publicly available resource, which was co-developed alongside the Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board and industry stakeholders, provides a full overview of how these tests work in a clinical setting, and the scientific evidence we have for how placental function relates to preeclampsia,” said Preeclampsia Foundation Chief Executive Officer Eleni Tsigas. “Patients and their providers benefit from having advanced tests to predict progression to severe preeclampsia, especially for patients for whom there may be some diagnostic uncertainty when only relying on traditional blood pressure measuring and urine protein marker tests.”

The Preeclampsia Foundation has advocated for the development and adoption of advanced biomarkers and improved testing for preeclampsia for over a decade by bringing together leaders in research, industry, regulatory bodies, policy makers, professional societies, and patients, including convening multiple biomarker consortiums and advocacy meetings on Capitol Hill to educate policy makers. Tsigas also serves on the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Biomarkers Consortium for Risk Stratification and Detection of Early-Onset Preeclampsia.

The new provider resource adds to the Foundation’s educational materials for providers and patients, including:

• The Preeclampsia Foundation “About Biomarkers” resource to support general obstetricians’ understanding of the research science behind new innovative preeclampsia testing
• The “How do they test for preeclampsia?” explainer video is a 3-minute infographic video, designed to walk patients through how providers monitor for preeclampsia, test for severe outcomes, and make care decisions. The video is available in English and Spanish.
• The “Ask About Preeclampsia Tests” tearpad sheet supports providers in guiding patients on how to monitor for preeclampsia, what tests may be run if preeclampsia is suspected, and what action may be taken if preeclampsia is confirmed. The resource is available for purchase in pads of 50 sheets on the Preeclampsia Foundation marketplace, with the front in English and back in Spanish.

For more information about preeclampsia testing for patients, visit: www.preeclampsia.org/preeclampsia-tests

For more information about preeclampsia testing and biomarkers for providers, visit: www.preeclampsia.org/biomarkers