New research sets sights on early detection, reversal of common pregnancy complication in Hispanic communities

Researchers at Texas A&M University are working to give health care providers the ability to detect, prevent and cure preeclampsia—an often dangerous pregnancy condition in which high blood pressure induces serious and potentially fatal complications, including long-term organ damage to the mother, limited blood supply and premature delivery.

The team of researchers includes Mahua Choudhury, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, along with researchers from other Texas A&M entities. Choudhury is leading several projects focused on the early detection and reversal of preeclampsia, and her previous work on a related project earned her a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenge in Global Health grant in 2011.

While preeclampsia is typically diagnosed after the twentieth week of pregnancy, the diagnostic for risk could be run and assessed much earlier, potentially affording more options for treatment and even prevention, Choudhury said. “Before the disease even occurs, we are trying to identify the preeclamptic patient. Can we prevent it? If we can prevent it, then women will not have the disease at all,” she said.

The researchers are focused on Hispanic women, a population with a substantially higher risk of conditions like hypertension and preeclampsia, despite historically being underrepresented in research relating to preeclampsia. Choudhury said this higher risk of preeclampsia among Hispanic populations comes as a secondary risk due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes, which are thought to be linked to higher proportions of Hispanic women who have low income and possess poor eating habits, among other risk factors.

This interdisciplinary, translational research team, which includes undergraduate and graduate students from the Hispanic community, aims to not only intervene but also to prevent preeclampsia from developing. The researchers are investigating epigenetics—how external factors like nutrition or environment can modify genes, hypothesizing that a specific set of epigenetic biomarkers could identity a woman’s risk of developing preeclampsia before a traditional diagnosis would come. In turn, epigenetic drugs might provide an avenue for early intervention.

The advantage of epigenetics, Choudhury said, is that, unlike standard genes, they can be reversed, potentially overturning damage.

Ultimately, Choudhury hopes this research will help save the lives of mothers and babies in the field. “In the future, I dream of having this discovery where people are using it so it’s not only in the lab, but it also actually goes bench to bedside,” she said.

This translational project started under the auspices of a Bill and Melinda Gates Grand Challenge Award in 2011, which led to a United States patent in 2022. These projects are currently supported by a 2023 Advanced Discovery to Market Award and a 2024 Race and Ethnic Studies Institute award.

By Lasha Markham, Texas A&M Health

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