The Preeclampsia Foundation has released a new educational resource aimed at helping OB-GYNs navigate the growing field of predictive and diagnostic biomarker testing for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The resource, available for download on the Foundation’s website, covers the clinical background, pathophysiology, and use cases for ratio tests based on two key placental protein markers: Placental Growth Factor (PlGF) and soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 receptor (sFlt-1).
Both biomarkers have been developed into in-hospital blood serum ratio tests, with tests from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Roche Diagnostics now FDA-cleared for use in hospitalized pregnant patients. The tests are designed to aid in clinical management of preeclampsia, particularly in cases where traditional blood pressure and urine protein assessments leave the diagnosis uncertain.
“Advanced biomarker tests can help predict progression to severe preeclampsia, especially for patients where diagnosis is uncertain using traditional assessments alone,” said Preeclampsia Foundation CEO Eleni Tsigas, who also serves on the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium for Risk Stratification and Detection of Early-Onset Preeclampsia.
The Foundation has advocated for biomarker testing adoption for over a decade, including convening biomarker consortiums and engaging policymakers on Capitol Hill. The new provider resource joins the Foundation’s existing educational materials, which include a patient-facing infographic video available in English and Spanish, and an “Ask About Preeclampsia Tests” tear pad for guiding patient-provider discussions.
