Kristie McNealy, MD

Mahua Choudhury, a neonatology research fellow at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, was recently granted $100,000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study preeclampsia, a condition that is a major cause of  preterm birth and maternal death.  Choudhury’s project, “A Sensitive Epigenic Tool for Prediction of Preeclampsia” was one of 88 projects to receive funding from the Grand Challenges Exploration project.

As a winner  of this grant, Choudhury is in the running to receive additional funds based on the success of her project.

Preeclampsia is a dangerous pregnancy complication where high blood pressure develops and protein is found in the urine.  Preeclampsia can progress to eclampsia, resulting in seizures and organ damage.  Currently the only way to cure preeclampsia is to deliver the baby, and sometimes this results in preterm delivery.

A tool that accurately predicted the development of preeclampsia could help healthcare providers better allocate resources to monitor those women and babies who are at the highest risk.  Ultimately knowing more about the development of preeclampsia could also help us identify new avenues of research into treatments or measures which could prevent preeclampsia.

Similar Posts:

• Preeclampsia Linked to Peptide in Placenta
• Link Between Herpes Virus and Highblood Pressure in Pregnancy
• New Evidence Preeclampsia May be an Autoimmune Disorder
• More Research into Preeclampsia Causes