From the BBC: Article about a possible gene which may be linked with pre-eclampsia women - bringing with it the possibility of better diagnostics and treatment:

Pre-eclampsia accounts for 15% of all premature deliveries in the UK.

This is because the only way to completely cure pre-eclampsia is to deliver the baby. Left untreated, the condition can lead to convulsions, kidney failure and serious liver problems.

The researchers from Harvard Medical School looked at proteins which may be involved in pre-eclampsia by affecting the level of oxygen delivered to the placenta.

They settled on COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase), an enzyme involved in the development of new blood vessels and a protein it produces called 2-methoxyoestradiol (2-ME).

Mice without any COMT also failed to produce 2-ME, which normally increases during the last three months of human pregnancy.

They found when mice were given back the COMT it cured their pre-eclampsia. The researchers say this has important implications for a potential treatment.

Full article is here.