First trimester serum markers to predict preeclampsia.

A variety of different biomarkers to predict preeclampsia have been identified in the last ten years. Most of these markers have been detected and quantified in maternal blood, and their potency to predict preeclampsia prior to the onset of clinical symptoms has been evaluated. The amount of such markers depends on various conditions, including the source of the marker (fetal/placental and/or maternal), the interaction of this marker with other proteins in maternal blood as well as the stability of the markers during freezing and thawing. Here we describe two of the putative early, first trimester biomarkers, placental protein 13 and placental growth factor. There is still the hope that - even in the absence of any treatment regimen today - such predictive markers will help to speed the development of a cure for preeclampsia.