Detection of risk of pre-eclampsia
A method of detecting a risk of a pregnant female mammal developing pre-eclampsia or a complication linked thereto, or of a fetus of the pregnant female mammal developing a fetal or neonatal deficiency linked to maternal pre-eclampsia, comprises detecting the level of a VEGF xxx b in a sample from the pregnant female mammal at less than about 24 weeks of gestation and comparing the detected level with a reference level. A reduced level in the sample from the pregnant female mammal is indicative of a risk of the pregnant female mammal developing pre-eclampsia or a complication linked thereto or of the fetus developing the fetal or neonatal deficiency linked to maternal pre-eclampsia.
1. A method for detecting a risk of a pregnant female mammal developing pre-eclampsia or a complication linked thereto, or of a fetus of the pregnant female mammal developing a fetal or neonatal deficiency linked to maternal pre-eclampsia, comprising:
detecting the level of a VEGF xxx b in a sample from the pregnant female mammal before the end of the second trimester of the mammal's pregnancy;
comparing the detected level with a reference level, wherein a level in the sample of the pregnant female mammal below the reference level is indicative of a risk of the pregnant female mammal developing pre-eclampsia or a complication linked thereto or of the fetus developing the fetal or neonatal deficiency linked to maternal pre-eclampsia; and
increasing the level of a VEGF xxx b in the pregnant female mammal when the detected level is below the reference level by administering a VEGF xxx b active agent to the pregnant female mammal.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the mammal is a human.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the VEGF xxx b is VEGF 165 b.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detection of the level of the VEGF xxx b is performed on a sample of a body fluid taken from the pregnant female mammal.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the body fluid is blood serum.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the level of VEGF xxx b is detected at less than about 16 weeks of gestation.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the level of VEGF xxx b is detected at up to about 12 weeks of gestation.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the level of VEGF xxx b is detected at about 12 weeks of gestation.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-eclampsia is severe pre-eclampsia or early-onset pre-eclampsia.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reference level is an average derived from population studies on gestationally age-matched pregnant females who did not develop pre-eclampsia.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the detection of the level of the VEGF xxx b is performed using an immunoassay.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the immunoassay is an ELISA.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the VEGF xxx b is VEGF 165 b and the reference level is at least 0.5 ng/ml serum VEGF 165 b at less than 24 weeks of gestation as measured by ELISA.