Method of diagnosing pre-eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder that causes a high degree of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Despite many recent advances in the field, the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of pre-eclampsia remain elusive. The current patent application provides evidence for a marker of pre-eclampsia, a 26.6-kDa polypeptide, which is present in pre-eclamptic women and absent in normal controls. The prospect of developing a laboratory test for the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia is exciting, as is the possibility for risk-stratification and potential therapies.