Askabide offers MaiRa, a molecular prenatal screening test developed by iPremom. It analyses circulating cell-free RNA (cfRNA) in maternal plasma to estimate the risk of early-onset preeclampsia. The molecular result is generated from a maternal blood sample; the test itself does not require an ultrasound, uterine-artery Doppler or additional biochemical markers.
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder that usually presents after 20 weeks with hypertension and may involve maternal organ dysfunction and fetal-placental complications. Screening aims to identify risk before the clinical syndrome appears; it does not diagnose a future condition with certainty.
The scientific programme behind MaiRa focuses on an early mechanism called decidualisation resistance, involving altered endometrial preparation and maternal-fetal interaction that may be associated with abnormal placentation. These biological changes may generate a transcriptomic signal detectable in maternal blood through cfRNA.
MaiRa is a risk-screening test, not a definitive diagnosis.
Published eligibility window.
Plasma cfRNA analysis.
Massive sequencing and transcriptomics.
To support medical decision-making.
Maternal sample between weeks 9 and 14.
Circulating cell-free RNA is extracted.
The molecular profile is characterised.
Data are processed using an AI-based predictive algorithm.
A report is generated for interpretation within obstetric care.
The molecular test is based on maternal blood. A dedicated ultrasound, uterine-artery pulsatility measurement or PlGF/PAPP-A is not required for the molecular algorithm to generate the MaiRa result.
Ultrasound, blood-pressure measurement, Doppler and other laboratory tests may still be indicated as part of routine prenatal care or subsequent risk assessment. They are simply not prerequisites for performing the MaiRa test itself.
Spain's National Health System added preeclampsia screening to its common service portfolio in 2026, but the method specified in the regulation is a combined first-trimester test. MaiRa is a different molecular screening test and is not the test currently defined in that common portfolio.
| Feature | MaiRa at Askabide | Combined screening in the NHS common portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| Screening basis | Maternal-plasma cfRNA molecular profile. | PlGF or PAPP-A + mean arterial pressure + uterine-artery Doppler. |
| Timing | Weeks 9–14. | First trimester. |
| Ultrasound required to calculate test risk | No for MaiRa. | Yes. |
| Uterine-artery Doppler | Not required by the test. | Part of the combined test. |
| Model | NGS sequencing + molecular predictive algorithm. | Combination of biochemical, haemodynamic and ultrasound variables. |
| Common NHS portfolio | Not the currently specified test. | Yes. |
MaiRa returns an individualised risk estimate that must be interpreted by the medical team in the context of the whole pregnancy. iPremom currently states a standard turnaround of 21 days (3 weeks) from receipt of the sample.
The estimate is generated from the cfRNA profile and predictive software. MaiRa therefore does not depend on an operator obtaining a uterine-artery Doppler or a specific ultrasound measurement to calculate its molecular result. This reduces operator dependence for that particular calculation, but does not make the test infallible.
A higher-risk result may justify closer obstetric assessment; a low-risk result may help avoid unnecessary interventions. Clinical management, including any pharmacological prophylaxis, must be decided by the healthcare professional and is not triggered automatically by the report.
PREMOM was a prospective longitudinal study involving 9,586 pregnant women at 14 hospitals in Spain. A 2025 Nature Communications publication analysed cfRNA profiles and predictive models for early- and late-onset preeclampsia.
The current manufacturer information supplied for MaiRa reports, for training/validation in the PREMOM cohort:
We do not present these as if they were the same analysis. They may relate to different model versions, thresholds or validation analyses.
It estimates risk and does not replace blood-pressure checks, symptom assessment, clinically indicated ultrasound or urgent hospital assessment. If severe headache, visual disturbance, upper abdominal pain, breathlessness, very high blood pressure, bleeding, reduced fetal movements or other warning signs occur, do not wait for a scheduled appointment or laboratory result.
Reviewed 19 August 2026
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