Early prediction of preeclampsia in pregnancy with cfRNA

To identify and validate cell-free RNA (cfRNA) transcriptomic changes that are associated with preeclampsia, the study generated circulating cfRNA profiles in blood from comparative cohorts: normotensive and preeclamptic pregnant mothers ( 404 blood samples from 199 participants). Results: 1) the changes are marked and stable early in gestation, well before the onset of symptoms. 2) changes are enriched for genes specific to neuromuscular, endothelial and immune cell types and tissues that reflect key aspects of preeclampsia physiology. 3) independent validation of a panel of 18 genes that when measured between 5 and 16 weeks of gestation can form the basis of a liquid biopsy test on at-risk of preeclampsia mothers.