Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including heart attacks and strokes, are the leading cause of death around the world. Platelets are small blood cells that form blood clots to control bleeding after injuries such as cuts. However, when platelets function abnormally, this can lead to inappropriate clot formation in major blood vessels, leading to heart attacks and strokes. It is therefore very important to thoroughly understand platelet function at the cellular and molecular level, to develop better treatments for CVDs. The structural framework of the cell, or cytoskeleton, controls platelet structure and also plays a major role in platelet function. We studied, using genetically engineered mice, how specific platelet proteins control how well platelets stick together, or aggregate. This will allow us to better understand how blood clots form prematurely or inappropriately, and how this may lead to life-threatening heart disease and stroke. A better of understanding of how platelet proteins control clot formation should also lead to better drugs for heart attack and stroke prevention.