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

Researchers at Texas A&M University are working to give health care providers the ability to detect preeclampsia—an often dangerous pregnancy condition—before symptoms arise, with the ultimate goal of reversing the disease. Their work focuses on identifying risk factors in Hispanic and other minority women, aiming to enhance early intervention and improve health outcomes for these at-risk populations.

Preeclampsia is a serious blood pressure condition that typically develops around the 20^th week of pregnancy. Some women have no symptoms, while others may experience high blood pressure, protein in their urine, water retention or swelling, frequent headaches, blurry vision or light sensitivity, dark spots in their vision, abdominal pain and shortness of breath. Sustained high blood pressure during pregnancy has potentially serious complications, including long-term organ damage to the mother, limited blood supply to the placenta and premature delivery.

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

Choudhury and her team, which includes researchers from other Texas A&M entities, are focused on Hispanic women because this population has not been studied as often and has a substantially higher risk of conditions like hypertension and preeclampsia. Choudhury said this comes as a secondary risk due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes—another area her team is working on—which is thought to be linked to higher proportions of Hispanic women who have low income and possess poor eating habits.

Hispanic adults have a 60 percent higher chance than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes. In addition to high risk factors, Hispanic adults also may have reduced awareness, reduced treatment and higher probability of not having health insurance, Choudhury said.

This interdisciplinary, translational research aims to not only intervene but also to prevent preeclampsia from developing. The research team, which includes undergraduate and graduate students from the Hispanic community, is investigating epigenetics—how external factors like nutrition or environment can modify genes. They hypothesized that a specific set of epigenetic biomarkers could identity a woman’s risk of developing preeclampsia before a traditional diagnosis would come.

“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,” Choudhury said.

The advantage of epigenetics, she said, is that, unlike standard genes, they can be reversed, potentially overturning the damage. In addition to using biomarkers to identify women with preeclampsia, her team is exploring potential epigenetic drugs for early intervention.

“Now we are looking at the function of those markers. Can I make a drug that I can give you through some kind of injection or tablet which will help to prevent the disease altogether?” she said.

Another layer of the research lies with the health of the baby. The team is also examining how the baby will react to any potential medication and how the mother’s pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, affects the baby’s health. As Choudhury noted, managing preeclampsia requires balancing the health of both mother and baby, since any intervention in the womb can impact the child. This balance is especially important as child obesity rates skyrocket, particularly in Hispanic and other minority populations.

Preeclampsia studies to date have focused primarily on Caucasian women, while Hispanic and African American populations have been significantly underrepresented. In a previous study, which was the first of its kind, Choudhury studied epigenetic markers of the disease in the first trimester primarily in Caucasian women. Now, her goal is to determine how similar these biomarkers are across racial groups and how transferable previous research might be.

Ultimately, she hopes to apply this research to 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.

Between pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, she is confident that one day they will find a way to reduce the deaths of the estimated 500,000 mothers and 75,000 babies that die due to pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, each year.

The light at the end of the tunnel is most important, she said. Helping people gain access to affordable and attainable life-saving care is where this journey started, and something she has not lost sight of.

“All those things we are doing, we are doing it so that we can help all human beings at the end.”

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.