I-Corps: Early Preeclampsia Detection Strip (EPED)

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to change the course of healthcare by changing how it is accessed. The Early Preeclampsia Detection (EPED) Strip provides non-invasive, rapid, point-of-care diagnosis of preeclampsia (PE), early in pregnancy. Early PE detection allows for a safer pregnancy. EPED can aid clinicians to identify PE with ease, even when there are no presenting symptoms, and without the challenge of discerning white coat syndrome. Expecting mothers can take control of their health and test quickly and comfortably at home. Awaiting test results is stressful, and for many women, getting to a clinical appointment poses a huge burden. EPED provides answers for better, faster, and increased access to healthcare. Increasing individual awareness about developing complications and providing women with the tools they need to take control of their own health is essential to reducing the burden of preeclampsia and eclampsia, and saving thousands of mothers and babies from preventable harm.This I-Corps project aims to explore the need for a preeclampsia diagnostic as well as its design specifications. Discovery of this information will allow for the development of a urine-based, point-of-care detection test that uses lateral flow technology to measure elevated levels of protein biomarkers, which are indicative of preeclampsia. The team has identified two biomarkers of interest which are associated with preeclampsia and eclampsia, as evidenced in literature and in our clinical work. When found above threshold concentration, the biomarkers will confirm the development of preeclampsia. To detect these biomarkers, the team has chosen to use a lateral flow assay format because of its ease of use and efficient design.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.