Comparing biomarkers among women with preeclampsia alone, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) alone and preeclampsia with GDM
Shaleah Benge
Undergraduate Researcher
Biochemistry Major (College of Arts & Sciences)
Sarah Commodore
Faculty Mentor
Sarah Commodore (School of Public Health)
Project Description
Preeclampsia is a complication which can occur during pregnancy, leading to high blood pressure and damage to other organs such as the liver and kidneys. The risk of developing preeclampsia increases two to four-fold among women with diabetes. There is currently a high prevalence of preeclampsia among women with preexisting diabetes. This suggests that there is a great need to examine predictive biomarkers, pathophysiology, treatment and long-term health implications of preeclampsia among pregnant women. Standardized criteria for preeclampsia diagnosis in women who have proteinuria prior to pregnancy are urgently needed. Students are invited to compare biomarkers among subset of women with preeclampsia alone, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) alone and preeclampsia with GDM. A better understanding of the shared and separate pathophysiologies of these two conditions may help researchers and clinicians to optimize screening techniques and improve treatments for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
Technology or Computational Component
The student will compare the same women across three trimesters using the MetaboAnalystR package in R and the web interface of MetaboAnalyst (https://www.metaboanalyst.ca/home.xhtml). The student is expected to save all R codes so that the complete analysis can be replicated for publication