HILLSBORO, Ore., Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten percent of all pregnant women worldwide develop preeclampsia during pregnancy, a serious medical condition for mother and baby that is potentially life-threatening if not treated early. Medical diagnostics company DiabetOmics announced the development of its new point-of-care test to detect preeclampsia in its early stageseven as early as in the first trimesterto assess the severity of the disease, and monitor its complications.
Preeclampsia is a significant complication of pregnancy, marked principally by high blood pressure; and is estimated to account for up to 60 percent of maternal deaths in developing countries, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH). Each year, a staggering half a million infants die globally due to preeclampsia, according to the Preeclampsia Foundation.
“We have completed the clinical studies and validation of a new, simple, and accurate test for preeclampsia that measures a specific protein in maternal blood, and have just published these results in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (http://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(14)00801-1/abstract),” said Srinivasa Nagalla, MD, CEO and founder of DiabetOmics. “We are working to make this point-of-care test widely available in early 2015, so that we can improve the health of pregnant women worldwide.”
Historically, testing for and treating preeclampsia take place after the onset of the condition, requiring a medical professional to diagnose and manage. Preeclampsia typically occurs in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, according to the Preeclampsia Foundation. Now, with this point-of-care test from DiabetOmics, testing can be performed much earlier, in the first trimester, so that patients can work with their physicians to assess and monitor their conditionand mitigate the effects of preeclampsiaas their pregnancy progresses.
“Preeclampsia is a major contributor to global maternal and perinatal disorders related to high blood pressure, and is the second leading cause of stillbirths and early neonatal deaths in developing nations,” said Michael Gravett, MD, professor and vice-chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington and scientific director of the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS). “The availability of a simple and accurate point-of-care testing for preeclampsia will be a major aid in dealing with this critical global problem.”
About DiabetOmics
DiabetOmics is a privately held medical diagnostics company based in Hillsboro, Oregon. DiabetOmics is a leader in the development of noninvasive tests for the early detection and assessment of diabetes, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia.
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SOURCE DiabetOmics
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