Open AccessA Toolkit for the Application of Placental-Fetal Molecular Biomarkers in Epidemiologic Studies of the Fetal Origins of Chronic Disease
Author(s) -
Jennifer J. Adibi,
Alexander J. Layden,
Qian Yin,
Xiaoshuang Xun,
Shyamal Peddada,
Rahel L. Birru
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
current epidemiology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2196-2995
DOI - 10.1007/s40471-020-00258-x
Subject(s) - fetus , epidemiology , disease , human chorionic gonadotropin , observational study , medicine , bioinformatics , pregnancy , hormone , biology , pathology , endocrinology , genetics
In this review, we provide essential background knowledge and an analytical framework for the application of placental-fetal molecular biomarkers in fetal origins chronic disease epidemiology. The widely available and highly quantitative placental hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is used as an example. hCG is currently used for diagnosing fetal genetic disorders; yet it can and should be expanded to understanding the fetal origins of chronic diseases. We provide justification and methods to do this.