<h4>Objective</h4> To evaluate whether the circulating level of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-4 (TIMP-4) in the period between 20 and 25 weeks of gestation is a predictor of preeclampsia.<h4>Methods</h4> We have performed a case-control study, nested in a prospective study cohort in Ribeirão Preto, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. This evidence concerns the gene TIMP4 and preeclampsia.