New Preeclampsia Research Funded to Investigate Genetic Targets and Possible Therapeutics

MELBOURNE, Fla., Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Preeclampsia Foundation announced the recipients of its 2026 Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants. Based on the recommendations of its Scientific Advisory Council, they awarded two grants totaling $99,997 USD each to Dr. Aki Ushiki, PhD and Kathleen Fisch, PhD.

Dr. Ushiki is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, conducting a research project entitled "Beyond the Exome: Functional Dissection of FLT1 Regulatory Variants in Preeclampsia." She received her PhD in genetics from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco, with a focus on functional genomics in developmental gene regulation. She is a recipient of an NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. Her laboratory investigates how non-coding genetic variation regulates gene expression and contributes to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, with the goal of identifying enhancer-mediated gene regulatory mechanisms underlying placental development and disease.

Kathleen Fisch, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the UC San Diego Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, conducting a research project entitled "Precision therapeutics for optimizing preeclampsia prevention." As the Co-Director of the UCSD Center for Perinatal Discovery (CPD) and as the Faculty Director of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute Center for Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (CCBB), Dr. Fisch spearheads the development of a vibrant, leading edge vision for computational genomics and infrastructure to support translational research across UCSD Health Sciences. Dr. Fisch's research explores the molecular mechanisms underlying pregnancy disorders and investigates relationships between prenatal exposures and pregnancy outcomes.

Named for the infant son of preeclampsia survivor Lauren Pappas and her husband Clement, the Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants program award grants totaling up to $200,000 each year. The ultimate goal of the program is to drive research that will eliminate the delivery of pre-term babies as an intervention for severe preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

"We lost our son Peter due to preeclampsia following a 29-week delivery in 2015," explained Lauren Pappas. "Since then, we have dedicated our lives to helping others avoid the same outcome by establishing the Peter Joseph Pappas Fund."

"Thanks to generous contributions from family and friends, and our partnership with the Preeclampsia Foundation, we are making strides to reach our ultimate goal of eliminating pre-term births due to preeclampsia by 2050," added Clement Pappas.

The Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grants program adds to the Preeclampsia Foundation's portfolio of research programs including the Vision Grant program for young investigators, and the Preeclampsia Registry, a dynamic database of research participants including survivors, family members, and controls.

Questions? Email [email protected]. 

About the Preeclampsia Foundation
The Preeclampsia Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2000 to improve the outcomes of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by educating, supporting, and engaging the community, improving healthcare practices, and accelerating research. For more information, visit www.preeclampsia.org.

Media Contact:
Laney Poye 
Director of Communications and Engagement
321.421.6957
[email protected] 

SOURCE Preeclampsia Foundation