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Updated: Jul 18, 2025
Author Spotlight: Modeling an Aspect of Preeclampsia in Female Mice Using Hypoxic Human Placenta-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles
Published on: January 26, 2024
Can single-cell and spatial omics unravel the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia?
Sunhild Hartmann1, Stefan Marc Botha2, Clive M Gray3
1Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany; Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia; Translational Obstetrics Group, The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia; Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany; DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Pre-eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Characterised by the onset of hypertension and proteinuria in the second half of pregnancy, it can lead to maternal end-organ injury such as cerebral ischemia and oedema, pulmonary oedema and renal failure, and potentially fatal outcomes for both mother and fetus. The causes of the different maternal end-organ phenotypes of pre-eclampsia and why some women develop pre-eclampsia condition early in pregnancy have yet to be elucidated. Omics methods include proteomics, genomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics. These omics techniques, previously mostly used on bulk tissue and individually, are increasingly available at a single cellular level and can be combined with each other. Multi-omics techniques on a single-cell or spatial level provide us with a powerful tool to understand the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia. This review will explore the status of omics methods and how they can and could contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia.
