Preeclampsia is a heterogeneous and multifactorial disorder underpinned by angiogenic imbalance with poorly understood pathogenesis, which has impeded the development of effective monitoring and treatment strategies. My work has pioneered predictive and diagnostic biomarkers for preeclampsia (CD44/FKBPL ratio)1, discovered new pathogenic mechanisms of preeclampsia2,3 and led to the development of the first 3D bioprinted organoid models of the early pregnancy placenta4 for biomarker discovery and drug screening5. These clinically relevant placental technologies are advancing high-throughput modelling of placental disease and accelerating therapeutic discovery in reproductive medicine. I patented and translated the FKBPL and CD44 biomarkers into a first-in-class point-of-care diagnostic platform for preeclampsia6. The technology demonstrates sensitivity 15-fold greater than current commercial assays, with applications now expanding to stillbirth and fetal growth restriction. This work addresses a major global health challenge, as preeclampsia remains without a cure despite causing over 40,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 infant deaths annually worldwide, while increasing long-term cardio-metabolic disease risk in mothers and children.

1. Todd N, McNally R, Alqudah A, Jerotic D, Suvakov S, Obradovic D, Hoch D, Hombrebueno JR, Campos GL, Watson CJ, Gojnic-Dugalic M, Simic TP, Krasnodembskaya A, Desoye G, Eastwood KA, Hunter AJ, Holmes VA, McCance DR, Young IS, Grieve DJ, Kenny LC, Garovic VD, Robson T, McClements L. Role of A Novel Angiogenesis FKBPL-CD44 Pathway in Preeclampsia Risk Stratification and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Treatment. J Clinical Endocrinol and Metabolism. 2021; 106(1): 26-41. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa403

2. Ghorbanpour SM, Richards C, Pienaar D, Sesperez K, Aboulkheyr HE, Nikolic VN, Karadzov Orlic N, Mikovic Z, Stefanovic M, Cakic Z, Alqudah A, Cole L, Gorrie C, McGrath K, Kavurma MM, Ebrahimi Warkiani M, McClements L. A placenta-on-a-chip model to determine the regulation of FKBPL and galectin-3 in preeclampsia. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 2023; 80(2): 44. doi: 10.1007/s00018-022-04648

3. Morshedi Rad D, Richards C, Zhand S, de Alwis N, Hannan NJ, Faiz A, McClements L, Ebrahimi Warkiani M. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in trophoblast cells via mechanoporation for preeclampsia insight. Cell Death and Disease. 2025; 17(1): 61. doi: 10.1038/s41419-025-08200-z.

4. Richards C, Chen H, O’Rourke M, Bannister A, Owen G, Volkerling A, Ghosh A, Gorrie C, Gallego-Ortega D, Bottomley A, Padula MP, McGrath K, Cole L, Hansbro P,

McClements L. Matrix directs trophoblast differentiation in a bioprinted organoid model of early placental development. Nature Communications. 2025; 16(1): 8267. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-62996-0

5. Richards C, Heidari F, McClements L. Placental organoids for drug and biomarker discovery. Nature Reviews Bioengineering. 2026; 4 (4): 288-290. doi:10.1038/s44222-026-00409-7

6. Ghorbanpour SM, Wen S, Kaitu'u-Lino TJ, Hannan NJ, Jin D, McClements L. Quantitative Point of Care Tests for Timely Diagnosis of Early-Onset Preeclampsia with High Sensitivity and Specificity. Angewandte Chemie Int Ed. 2023; 135(26): e202301193. doi: 10.1002/ange.202301193