Development of novel therapeutics to prevent or treat preeclampsia

• 
  Associate Professor
  Natalie Hannan

  nhannan@unimelb.edu.au

  View researcher's webpage

  +61 3 8458 4371

Project Details

Preeclampsia, a major pregnancy complication, affects ~3-8% of pregnancies. There is no cure. We have developed new strategies to tackle the disease, including delivery of agents specifically to the placenta and repurposing drugs safe in pregnancy. We will test whether these strategies can quench disease in models developed in our laboratory and examine samples from women who participated in clinical trial to treat preeclampsia. This offers new possibilities in the management of preeclampsia.

Researchers

A/Professor Natalie Hannan – Group leader and Principle Research Fellow

Dr Natalie Binder – Post-doctoral scientist

Ms Sally Beard – Research Assistant

Research Publications

Binder, N. K., F. C. Brownfoot, S. Beard, P. Cannon, T. V. Nguyen, S. Tong, T. u. J. Kaitu'u-Lino and N. J. Hannan (2020). "Esomeprazole and sulfasalazine in combination additively reduce sFlt-1 secretion and diminish endothelial dysfunction: potential for a combination treatment for preeclampsia." Pregnancy Hypertension 22: 86-92.

de Alwis, N., S. Beard, Y. T. Mangwiro, N. K. Binder, T. J. Kaitu'u-Lino, F. C. Brownfoot, S. Tong and N. J. Hannan (2020). "Pravastatin as the statin of choice for reducing pre-eclampsia-associated endothelial dysfunction." Pregnancy Hypertension 20: 83-91.

Hannan, N. J., F. C. Brownfoot, P. Cannon, M. Deo, S. Beard, T. V. Nguyen, K. R. Palmer, S. Tong and T. J. Kaitu'u-Lino (2017). "Resveratrol inhibits release of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin and improves vascular dysfunction - implications as a preeclampsia treatment." Sci Rep 7(1): 1819.

Onda, K., S. Tong, S. Beard, N. Binder, M. Muto, S. N. Senadheera, L. Parry, M. Dilworth, L. Renshall, F. Brownfoot, R. Hastie, L. Tuohey, K. Palmer, T. Hirano, M. Ikawa, T. Kaitu'u-Lino and N. J. Hannan (2017). "Proton Pump Inhibitors Decrease Soluble fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase-1 and Soluble Endoglin Secretion, Decrease Hypertension, and Rescue Endothelial Dysfunction." Hypertension69(3): 457-468.

Cluver, C. A., N. J. Hannan, E. van Papendorp, R. Hiscock, S. Beard, B. W. Mol, G. B. Theron, D. R. Hall, E. H. Decloedt, M. Stander, K. T. Adams, M. Rensburg, P. Schubert, S. P. Walker and S. Tong (2018). "Esomeprazole to treat women with preterm preeclampsia: a randomized placebo controlled trial." American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 219(4): 388.e381-388.e317.

Hannan, N. J., N. K. Binder, S. Beard, T.-V. Nguyen, T. u. J. Kaitu'u-Lino and S. Tong (2018). "Melatonin enhances antioxidant molecules in the placenta, reduces secretion of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT) from primary trophoblast but does not rescue endothelial dysfunction: An evaluation of its potential to treat preeclampsia." PloS one 13(4): e0187082-e0187082.