Dr. Isabella Caniggia’s younger sister has spent her life in a wheelchair. There was nothing Caniggia could do about it, until she came to Mount Sinai.

As an associate scientist at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital and associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University of Toronto, Dr. Caniggia’s lab is dedicated to investigating the causes and detection of pre-eclampsia. The disease affects five to seven per cent of all pregnancies and is the leading cause of fetal and mother mortality and morbidities.

“I know how devastating the disease can be,” says Dr. Caniggia. In fact, it’s the very reason her sister was born with cerebral palsy and requires the aid of a wheelchair.

“Pre-eclampsia is a disease with many unanswered questions. I decided to switch from being a paediatrician to a researcher so I could help solve these unknowns.”

Dr. Caniggia’s decision is paying off. Her lab has made great progress in identifying genetic alterations that predict if pregnant women will have early or late onset pre-eclampsia.

“This brings us one step closer to developing a diagnostic test so that physicians don’t rely on symptoms alone to determine if a patient has pre-eclampsia,” she says. “Instead, they can diagnose pre-eclampsia early on and determine which patients’ pregnancies need to be closely monitored and managed to ensure a better outcome for these mothers and babies.”

Such a test is needed now more than ever. “In the past decade, cases of pre-eclampsia have increased,” says Dr. Caniggia. “More women are using in-vitro fertilization, having multiples, and getting pregnant at an older age, which all contribute to the risk of pre-eclampsia.”

The disease can be devastating. Infants may suffer from blindness or cerebral palsy, and mothers and infants are more prone later in life to hypertension, cardiac problems, and diabetes, a disease which affected her mother.

“Mount Sinai has many bright and passionate people doing great work in a wide range of areas, including placenta and pregnancy research. I’m doing what I really want to do. My hope is that one day my research and others’ will help test and treat pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and their babies.”