Shape changing platelet research

Platelet cAMP signalling controls thrombosis through enhanced embolisation (Mr Lloyd Atkinson)

Supervised by Dr Simon Calaminus, this PhD student is studying what controls platelets – small cells in the blood that clump together at sites of injury to form a plug to prevent further blood loss. Platelets are not normally activated in the blood stream. But when the body is injured, platelets receive a positive signal that causes them to activate and become sticky. Sticky platelets clump together, change shape and spread across each other to form a plug that stops bleeding. This ability to change shape and spread is important – if it is blocked, platelets are less sticky, the plug becomes weak and can’t stop bleeding effectively. In this project, the researchers want to understand how platelets change shape and spread, and how this affects the platelet’s ability to prevent bleeding. They are investigating the balance between the positive and negative signals the platelets receive, and what effect they have on platelet plug formation and stability. They are finding out if the negative signals are required to prevent the platelet plug from growing too large and blocking a blood vessel. Understanding how to switch off a platelet that has become activated could reveal ways to stop thrombosis, when unwanted clots form inside blood vessels, and so prevent a heart attack or stroke.