GATC Biotech and Lifecodexx have been funded EUR500,000 (GBP440,000) from the BMBF to develop a diagnostic test for the early detection of pre-eclampsia.
Pre-eclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of the mother during pregnancy.
It is among the leading causes of death of mother and unborn child, and occurs in approximately two to five per cent of all pregnancies in Germany.
Early detection is critical and improves the prognosis for the further course of the pregnancy.
On the basis of next-generation sequencing technologies, GATC Biotech and Lifecodexx will develop a human genetic diagnostic test that will allow the detection of cell-free fetal DNA as an important early marker.
The test would allow a reliable risk assessment before symptoms appear.
The project is supported by grants from the KMU Innovation Program of the Federal Ministry for Research and Education over the next two years.
