Irish professor leads bid for medical breakthrough

An Irish professor is leading a European research team that hopes to develop the first effective screening test for a life-threatening pregnancy complication.

The consortium, led by Professor Louise Kenny of University College Cork, has just secured €6m in EU funding to trial two prototype tests for pre-eclampsia — a complex condition where high blood pressure arises in the second half of pregnancy.

There is currently no accurate screening test for the condition which accounts for up to 24% of maternal deaths in Europe and over 500,000 infant deaths worldwide every year.