PerkinElmer Expands Prenatal Screening Test Offerings in the U.S. with the Early Onset Preeclampsia Screening Test

PerkinElmer, a global leader in human and environmental health and an innovator in the field of prenatal screening for more than thirty years, announced the first available early onset preeclampsia screening test in the United States.

The PreeclampsiaScreen™ | T1 serum screening test enables physicians to more precisely detect asymptomatic patients in the first trimester of pregnancy who are at high risk for developing the dangerous condition, allowing for earlier identification, management and intervention. Early onset preeclampsia is a potentially serious condition that affects 0.5% of all pregnancies, often contributing more to the pregnant mother's and baby's risks of morbidity and mortality than does the late form of the disorder.

"This first of its kind screen is our latest commitment to providing clinicians with new, innovative ways to address some of today's most challenging prenatal clinical scenarios," said Jim Corbett, Senior Vice President and President, Diagnostics and Life Sciences & Technology for PerkinElmer. "Together with our recent advances, including offering a non-invasive prenatal test based on cell-free fetal DNA, plus a wide range of prenatal testing from biochemical screening to SNP microarray testing to detect birth defects and chromosome abnormalities, we're giving physicians effective new tools for patient management."

According to Dr. Jiri Sonek, MD RDMS, President, Fetal Medicine Foundation USA, and Adjunct Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from Wright State University, "Preeclampsia is one of the remaining great challenges in obstetrics. It is a major cause of maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Fortunately, some physicians may recommend a simple and inexpensive intervention to reduce the risk of preeclampsia which is available in the form of low-dose aspirin. However, this treatment is effective only if begun early in pregnancy. That is why first trimester screening is such a critical component of preeclampsia prevention."

Early onset preeclampsia is defined as preeclampsia, a sudden increase in blood pressure and protein in the urine, which leads to delivery of the fetus prior to 34 weeks' gestation. If found early, options such as increased monitoring, modified activity, bed rest and medication can help reduce or avoid complications related to early onset preeclampsia.

PreeclampsiaScreen™ | T1 is administered during the first trimester of pregnancy through a simple blood test to detect three biochemical markers in the mother's blood: PAPP-A (pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A); PlGF (placental growth factor) and AFP (alpha fetoprotein) that, when evaluated collectively with personal demographic data, provide an individual risk of developing early onset preeclampsia. Physicians have the option to provide two additional biophysical measurements for their patients — mean arterial pressure (MAP) and uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index (UtAD-PI) - each increasing the sensitivity of the screen when included in the testing protocol.

For more information, please click the company website link below to visit the PreeclampsiaScreen™ | T1 landing page.