Biotome Secures $498K to Advance Preeclampsia Diagnostic
Perth biotech, Biotome, awarded prestigious Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund Innovation Seed Fund grant to develop a first-trimester blood test that could prevent hundreds of preeclampsia cases annually in Western Australia and thousands worldwide.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Maternal Health
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, affect about 2.7% of Australian pregnancies, equating to roughly 800–900 women each year in Western Australia. Globally, preeclampsia complicates 2–8% of pregnancies—more than 8 million women annually—and contributes to over 70,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year.(AIHW 2023, WHO 2023)
preACT detects specific antibodies in maternal blood that correlate with later disease development, enabling first-trimester screening using standard prenatal samples.
