An Observational Study of a Maternal Blood Protein Predictor for Case Finding of Pregnancies At Risk of Preeclampsia At Early Gestation

Background and rationale:

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe medical condition that affects 2-4% of pregnant women globally and is characterized by high blood pressure along with organ damage, particularly to the liver and kidneys. It is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early detection and preventative management of PE, including the use of low-dose aspirin, are essential for safeguarding the health of both the mother and the developing fetus. The British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) use risk factor-based guidelines to identify women at high risk for PE. These guidelines treat each risk factor independently, leading to additive detection rates but low overall sensitivity. NICE guidelines detect only 40% of preterm PE and 35% of all PE cases with an 11% false positive rate, while ACOG detects just 5% of preterm and 2% of term PE. ACOG recommends low-dose aspirin only for women with a history of preeclampsia in multiple pregnancies or preterm delivery before 34 weeks, covering just 0.3% of all pregnancies, 5% of preterm PE, and 2% of term PE. The Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) PE test is utilized in several studies for screening and assessing the risk of developing PE during the first trimester. This test measures biochemical markers, such as pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and placental growth factor (PlGF), in maternal blood to calculate individual risk scores. However, its limitations have highlighted the need for more effective and reliable alternatives. Performance varies across clinical sites, with sensitivity reported as low as 39-40%, and its positive predictive value (PPV) is relatively low, typically around 10-20%. This results in a significant number of false positives and negatives, which can lead to unnecessary anxiety for pregnant women and may result in missed diagnoses for those at risk. Furthermore, the FMF test requires specialized equipment and techniques, such as ultrasound for measuring the uterine artery pulsatility index (UAPI), making it less accessible in resource-limited settings and inaccuracy due to variance from different operators. These constraints limit its widespread use, underscoring the urgent need for improved blood tests to enhance prediction accuracy and reduce false results.

Clinical significance and potential impact of the test:

Advancements in medical research and technology are paving the way for more effective blood tests to improve pre-eclampsia care management. By integrating additional biomarkers and employing cutting-edge diagnostic tools such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, we aim to enhance the precision and reliability of preeclampsia predictions. Our current research showcases the use of four blood serum protein markers to assess the risk of pre-eclampsia in women during early gestation (11-13 weeks), well before clinical symptoms arise.

To further validate the prediction and diagnosis performance of the novel preeclampsia test, we will enroll patients and initiate a large, multi-center observational clinical trial, including four diverse Asia cohorts, to test whether this standalone solution could bypass the need for complex maternal assessments.