Our Research

One of the primary objectives of the AFE Foundation is to advance the research of AFE. This can help us better understand what causes an AFE.

We hope to establish:

• more effective treatments
• devise a mechanism to predict
• establish a gold standard diagnosis
• save the lives of mothers and their babies

In 2012, the AFE Foundation joined with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas to establish our registry. The registry is a secure database of medical information. It also contains family history and other related information from records and interviews. This information assists in the study of cases of AFE and allows researchers to look at the efficacy of treatments. It can also look at the long-term health of survivors of AFE and serves as a basis for clinical research.

In 2019, Wayne State University and the Perinatology Research Branch of the NIH joined our research efforts. We established a biorepository where samples of blood, tissue, cells, DNA, RNA, and protein from cases of AFE are studied.

Our research efforts have gained international recognition. Our registry is the largest database of AFE cases and has resulted in 11 abstracts and publications. These publications have been cited in over 150 other research papers spanning over 10 countries.

One of our successes was to establish diagnostic criteria to be used for research publications. The intent is to focus efforts where all the included cases meet the classic definition of AFE. This includes the presence of hemodynamic and respiratory compromise accompanied by DIC. Limiting research reports to women who meet these criteria will enhance the validity of data. It will help in the verification of risk factors, effective treatments, and useful biomarkers.