Grant: CIHR New Investigator

According to the tale written by Quintus Smyrnaeus, Ulysses had the idea of building a wooden horse inside which 30 men from his elite army were hiding. The Trojans, excited to see the wooden horse, which is the emblem of the city of Troy, decided to wheel the trophy inside the fortified city, leading to its destruction. A Trojan Horse is thus the stratagem that causes a recipient to invite an enemy into a securely protected setting. This research project is to some extent inspired by this story. Platelets are blood cells that play major roles in the prevention of bleedings, and the transfusion of platelets is a life-saving medical procedure for patients undergoing a major surgery, with massive bleedings, for subjects with abnormal platelets (not fully functional) and those with diseases like cancers or low platelet counts. Unfortunately, platelet transfusion sometimes triggers adverse reactions, with similarities with infections. In fact, approximately 1 in 100 platelet transfusion induces adverse reactions, among which 1 in 4000 are considered severe. Of importance, in Canada transfusion-induced acute lung injury (TRALI) is the third leading cause of death during transfusion. In our laboratory, we are interested by a highly pro-inflammatory component derived by platelets. Like in the tale of the Trojan Horse, we believe that this component contained into the donor platelets is thus transported inside platelet concentrate storage bags. Once inside the platelet concentrates, platelets themselves release this inflammatory mediator, promoting the adverse reactions in patients upon transfusion. In this research project, we want to determine what are the most optimal methods for the preparation and conservation of platelet concentrates to limit the release of this overlooked component. We also aim to understand by which mechanisms this novel mediator can trigger adverse reactions, including TRALI, during transfusions.