Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication, responsible for over half a million neonatal and perinatal deaths, and 70,000 maternal deaths globally each year. Even for those that survive, there are long-term health impacts for both mother and child.
There is no cure for preeclampsia, and limited treatments available. Aspirin is widely used in disease prevention - but has limited efficacy. Antihypertensives and magnesium sulphate can be administered to manage maternal symptoms, but only delivery of the placenta and fetus can cease disease. However, premature delivery comes with its own complications and serious morbidity (disability and increased risk of adult onset disease including cardiovascular disease).
There is hence an urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat this complex disease - particularly for those in developing countries, where burden of disease is high and tertiary maternity care is not always easily accessible.
The development of novel treatments for preeclampsia is limited due to restrictions on performing clinical trials with pregnant women, primarily due to the risk of harming the growing fetus. Consequently, repurposing drugs already known to be safe for use in pregnancy, and developing innovative ways to enhance efficiency (targeted delivery or improving stability of therapies) are encouraged. With there still being no cure or effective treatment for this condition, it is crucial we develop strategic, innovative and efficient therapeutics to treat the underlying pathophysiology of preeclampsia and its long-term sequelae.
This special issue welcomes original research articles and reviews on the topic of new prevention and treatment strategies for preeclampsia. This includes contributions concerning:
- development of new therapeutics and treatment strategies
- repurposing existing therapeutics for new use
- studies highlighting new pathways/molecules that could be targeted for prevention/treatment
- improving current prevention and management strategies
- any other material pertaining to prevention and treatment of preeclampsia
Key words
- preeclampsia
- therapeutics
- prevention
- treatment
- pregnancy
All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member). Please review the journal scope <link> and author submission instructions <link> prior to submitting a manuscript.
Guest Advisors
Dr. Natasha de Alwis is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Therapeutics Discovery & Vascular Function in Pregnancy group at the University of Melbourne. Her research focus is in understanding the placental and vascular adaptations that occur in pregnancy, and the impairments in these systems that contribute to pregnancy complications. She has a keen interest in the development of novel therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat the pregnancy complication, preeclampsia.
Prof. Natalie Hannan leads the Therapeutics Discovery and Vascular Function in Pregnancy Group within the Melbourne Medical School at the University of Melbourne. She has a dedicated focus on understanding the pathophysiology that underpins serious pregnancy complications and women’s future health risk. Her research program focuses on the development of novel treatment strategies and delivery methods for major complications of pregnancy, particularly preeclampsia and preterm birth. Professor Hannan also holds the position of Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion for the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and is actively involved in programs promoting gender equity in STEM.
Disclosure statement: Dr. Natasha de Alwis and Prof. Natalie Hannan declare there is no conflict of interest.
