0
0
A groundbreaking blood test has demonstrated 80% accuracy in predicting preterm preeclampsia, according to a study published on February 12 in Nature Medicine.
Preeclampsia, a severe pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and organ dysfunction, is responsible for over 70,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal deaths annually worldwide. The unpredictable nature of the condition has made proactive treatment difficult, according to one of the study’s lead researchers.
“The placenta is not something we can biopsy during pregnancy, but we believe it is integral to developing preeclampsia,” explained Dr. Swati Shree, an OB-GYN at UW Medicine and co-corresponding author of the study. “Doctors do assess clinical risk factors, which can be effective, but they still miss a significant number of cases.”
Preeclampsia typically emerges in the third trimester, and while its precise cause remains unknown, medical experts suspect it results from abnormal interactions between the placenta and maternal blood vessels. Risk factors include first-time pregnancies, a history of preeclampsia, and chronic conditions such as hypertension or kidney disease. However, some patients develop the condition without any prior risk factors.
For at least two decades, researchers have known that the placenta sheds DNA into maternal blood. Cell-free DNA sequencing has been widely used to screen for fetal abnormalities like Down syndrome. Until 2017, these tests were processed at external labs, but UW Medicine became one of the first health systems to conduct them in-house.
In collaboration with Fred Hutch Cancer Center, UW Medicine scientists explored using this sequencing data to predict preeclampsia. Over the past two years, a research team led by Dr. Shree and co-corresponding author Gavin Ha, a computational biologist at Fred Hutch, used liquid biopsy data from over 1,000 pregnant individuals to develop and validate their predictive model.
“The innovation in this tool reinforces how important it is. Liquid biopsy tests were pioneered in pregnancy health research and are now an emerging research area in oncology,” said Ha. “There are similarities in the genes we’re examining in both fields, which makes this study a collaboration bridging both disciplines.”
Samples collected between 2017 and 2023 provided the basis for the model, which analyzes signals stored in circulating cell-free DNA sequence data. The test achieved 80% sensitivity in predicting preterm preeclampsia.
Dr. Shree emphasized the need for further refinement of the model with larger sample sizes and trials involving thousands of patients. The ultimate goal is to integrate this test into routine early pregnancy screening.
“Although liquid biopsies are primarily used in cancer diagnostics, prenatal biology presents incredible opportunities for innovation in disease prediction and prevention,” she said.
The researchers hope their findings will pave the way for early intervention strategies, potentially reducing maternal and fetal mortality rates linked to preeclampsia.
More Information: Mohamed Adil et al, Preeclampsia risk prediction from prenatal cell-free DNA screening, Nature Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03509-w
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Individuals concerned about preeclampsia or pregnancy-related health risks should consult a qualified healthcare professional.
