A 2-phase discovery/validation study was designed. In the discovery phase, a nested casecontrolled
study was performed using plasma sampled at 8 to 20 weeks gestation from 20
women who later developed HDP and from 20 age- and gestational week-matched controls.
Plasma was analyzed using a human protein microarray technology designed to simultaneously
detect 507 proteins. The functional annotation and clustering of the differentially expressed
proteins were performed using DAVID and the GO database. TRAIL levels were
further validated in an independent study using plasma obtained at 8 to 20 weeks gestation
from 53 women who later developed HDP and from 106 matched controls, and 62 clinical
risk factors were investigated.