Scientists at the University of Reading have
made a groundbreaking discovery into the way blood clots are formed,
potentially leading to the development of new drugs to treat one of the world's
biggest killer illnesses.
Cardiovascular
disease, which causes heart attacks and strokes, accounts for one in three of
all deaths in the UK, often brought about by clots blocking major blood vessels,
preventing critical blood
flow to the heart or brain.
Now
researchers at the Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research (ICMR)
at the University of Reading have uncovered, for the first time, the mechanism
by which platelets, the blood cells that
cause clots, ‘communicate' with each other and the inner walls of blood vessels
when clotting.
The
clotting process helps the body to repair itself and stops wounds from
bleeding. But inappropriate activation of platelets leads to the formation of
clots in the bloodstream (thrombosis), which can lead to a potentially fatal heart attack or
stroke.
Currently,
doctors treating heart disease can administer drugs which reduce the tendency
of the blood to clot, and therefore decrease the risk of thrombosis.
However, such anti-thrombotic drugs are not effective for some patients, and
can cause dangerous side-effects.
Professor
Jonathan Gibbins and Dr. Sakthivel Vaiyapuri have headed up an international
team of researchers that have discovered how platelets use specialised
pore-like structures, called gap junctions, allowing direct communication
between the cells. These structures have been studied previously in other
cells that are in constant contact with each other, but the researchers said
their role in platelets was a ‘big surprise'.
The
scientists, whose findings are published online in the journal Circulation, conclude that
the discovery could lead to the creation of innovative new drugsto prevent or
treat thrombosis.
Professor
Gibbins said: "This appears to be a very important communication mechanism
for blood clotting and thrombosis. Since we have found that molecules
that block these channels reduce thrombosis this may pave the way for potential
new avenues for the development of more effective anti-thrombotic therapies to
prevent heart attacks and strokes."
Dr.
Vaiyapuri said: "Although this area of platelet research is still in its
early stages, this is an exciting discovery. The pore proteins have
important functions in a range of cell types in the body, and therefore in the
future it will be important to consider how to modulate the opening and closing
of the pores specifically in platelets. "
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