Supervisors: Dr. Anthony Fitzpatrick, Tamta Arakhamia

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the leading causes of neonatal and maternal mortality, affecting 5-8% of women globally. The current diagnostic urine dipstick has a both high false negative and positive rates. Lack of diagnosis is the primary cause of PE deaths, most of which occur in low- and mid-income countries. It is clear that further research into this condition is necessary in order to better aid these women, starting with an improved method of diagnosis. My research this summer will center on exploring a novel biomarker of preeclampsia that may be used as this diagnostic tool. Research suggests that this line of research may even result in the first treatment for PE, as the only clinical solution that exists today is delivery.

Research questions:

• Are fibrillary protein levels present in the urine of women with PE significantly different from non-PE pregnant women, as is necessary to warrant its use as a diagnostic marker?
• Does urinary fibrillary protein level significantly correspond with severity of PE?

Objective: Collect sufficient data to plot curves that map the relationship between PE severity and the quantity of urinary fibrillary protein.

Methodology: Dot blots are a form of protein assay that can be used to quantify and compare protein levels between samples. By performing this procedure on the urine samples from women with various stages of PE, fibril concentration during these different stages can be quantified and statistically compared to age-matched controls of women without preeclampsia.