Finally an update on the Congo Red Dot Test being developed at Yale. The primary researcher believes that eclampsia may be a disease of misfolded proteins and may be Congophilic meaning that the Congo red dye could be used to identify the disease. Read more in the Yale publication linked above. The researchers have used their test in clinical trials involving 400 women and now need to move to the next stage for larger clinical trials
2 professors of ob/gyn at Yale are working on a rapid urine test that can test for pre-eclampsia, a precursor of eclampsia, one of the top causes of death amongst pregnant women. Currently there is no such test for pre-eclampsia in low-income settings. Treatment for eclampsia exists (magnesium sulfate) but is often unavailable at the periphery. This rapid test would determine whether a woman should be referred to a facility with magnesium sulfate.
