SMU prof a rising star in promoting world health

Christa Brosseau's work aims to improve maternal health in developing nations

Christa Brosseau is working to improve maternal and neonatal health halfway around the world, from her lab at Saint Mary's University. Photo: Kathryn Walsh

Saint Mary's University chemistry professor Christa Brosseau is creating a rapid sensor to detect preeclampsia, a common but dangerous pregnancy complication.

"It's the second leading cause of death in or leading up to childbirth," says Brosseau. "Half a million women die from it each year, and 99 per cent of them are in developing nations."

While preeclampsia is quickly diagnosed and easily treated here in Canada, the same is not true in developing areas, particularly in African countries. "In today's world, it's not fair that there's that kind of imbalance," she says.

But Brosseau is not just a chemistry professor at SMU. She's also one of Grand Challenges Canada's rising stars. Grand Challenges Canada is a non-profit organization that aims to solve some of the world's most difficult health problems.

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Women in countries such as the Gambia risk suffering from the serious dangers of preeclampsia if they can't get diagnosed and treated in time. Photo: Paul Seligman/Flickr

African challenges

Brosseau says conditions in Africa can be a challenge in designing this technology:

• No electricity
• No access to clean water
• Equipment can break down in the heat and humidity
• Many women travel for hours to a clinic and can't wait for the standard 24-hour urine test
• Often workers at clinics are not health care professionals, and many are illiterate

Effects of preeclamsia

Dr. Tony Armson is the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine. He lists some of the more severe effects of preeclampsia:

• Neurologic symptoms, including severe headache
• Low platelets
• Cell injury
• Liver problems
• Kidney failure
• Fluid in the lungs
• Seizures
• Fetal and neonatal effects: restrictions, growth delay, stress on the baby

If left undiagnosed and untreated, Armson says in the worst case scenario, "you could end up with a still birth and quite possibly severe adverse maternal consequences or even death."

Brosseau is one of several up-and-coming Canadian scientists participating in Grand Challenges Canada's interactive contest where researchers can "lead change and develop long-term, sustainable solutions to pressing health challenges in the developing world," according to their website. It's also an opportunity for researchers to build up their expertise and profile.

Making diagnosis easier

Instead of measuring blood pressure and doing a urine test to diagnose preeclampsia, like we do in Canada, Brosseau is working on something like the blood-glucose meter used by diabetics. However, this portable machine will look for other biomarkers produced by the body, including uric acid, creatinine and albumin.

It'll build a sort of "vibrational fingerprint of the molecule," says Brosseau. It will tell whether the concentrations of these biomarkers indicate a problem.

"It'll be a simple yes/no system," Brosseau says. "Either you have preeclampsia or you're good to go."

Putting it to good use

This is just phase one of Brosseau's grand challenge. First she'll build the device and prove it works. If it does, she could receive a million dollars for implementing the technology and training the people who will use it. For this second phase, Brosseau will work with the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association.

Cathy Conrad, executive director of the association, says working with Brosseau was a "great fit."

"If she gets the funding to use her cool tool, we can work in the community to culturally explain what this device is and how it works," she says. Through peer health education in schools and communities, the association can reach half of the Gambia's population.

Helping Brosseau help the Gambia

The federal government is contributing $225 million over five years to the Development Innovation Fund, which will be distributed by Grand Challenges Canada and other research institutes.

Grand Challenges Canada has a rigorous process to decide which researcher will receive funding. As part of her application, Brosseau created a video for viewers to vote on. "It's meant to gauge your ability to communicate your idea to the public," says Brosseau, adding that she's also written essays and done research.

Brosseau is pleased Ottawa is funding maternal health and thinks other people should be too.

"I think Canadians in general should be pretty excited about this."

Brosseau's also excited about all the research by other applicants.

"A problem may seem insurmountable," she says. "But when people work together, they can find a solution."

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