Searching for new treatments to prevent repeat heart attacks or strokes

The fibrin network and clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome: An additional therapeutic target? (Dr Wael Sumaya)

Supervised by Professor Robert Storey, a Clinical Research Training Fellow is studying how to prevent a further heart attack or stroke in people who have already had a heart attack. Platelets are small circulating cells within the blood that can stick together to form blood clots. During clotting, a process called coagulation also occurs in the blood – this is when the blood is thickened by the formation of protein strands called fibrin. The combination of platelets and fibrin forms the clots that can create the risk of a heart attack or stroke. In a previous study, Professor Storey demonstrated that the anti-clotting drug ticagrelor reduces the risk of blood clots better than the standard treatment, clopidogrel. Both of these drugs work by targeting platelets in the blood. In this project, the fellow will study 4000 blood samples from the PLATO study to find out if ticagrelor forms or breaks down fibrin networks during clotting. They will find out if information about fibrin can predict a person’s outcome up to a year after their heart attack, and will identify the characteristics of those most at risk of having further heart attacks or strokes. In the lab, they will also find out whether blocking a clotting molecule called factor Xa affects how fibrin forms or breaks down. This research will pave the way for more research trials to find better combinations of anti-clotting drugs that reduce the risk of further heart attacks or strokes.