Nathan Campbell, PhD

Pregnant people can develop a disease called preeclampsia that is characterized by high blood pressure late in pregnancy and can have life-threatening complications if left untreated. Although the frequency of preeclampsia has increased in the past two decades, there have been no new treatments in 50 years. People with preeclampsia show increased activation of B cells, white blood cells that can produce harmful proteins called angiotensin II type 1 receptor autoantibodies (AT1-AA) that mistakenly target the body’s own cells. We have shown that another type of white blood cell, a T helper cell, is crucial in activating B cells producing AT1-AA. Research in animal models shows that AT1-AA exposure during pregnancy causes neurological complications after pregnancy as well as cardiovascular complications for offspring as adults. This project aims to test whether a new drug that lowers AT1-AA activity can mitigate these long-term complications in a novel model of preeclampsia that involves transfer of human T helper cells into pregnant rats. This will help determine how T helper cells from human patients contribute to the development of preeclampsia and disease risk. The goal is to improve maternal outcomes and reduce future disease risk for people who experience preeclampsia and their children.