Shedding light on platelet disorders
The EC-funded PLATELETS project focused on the study of platelet counts and the reasons behind the drop in platelet counts. Ways to prevent life-threatening conditions as a result of this phenomenon were also investigated. It has been shown that low platelet counts can result in cerebral bleeding, with permanent debilitating effects. The presence of anti-platelet antibodies can also result in brain damage in newborn babies and can reduce the chance of successful organ transplants. Project partners examined the presence of specific self-antigens (termed alloantigens) on the surface of platelets, aimed at identifying early on the presence of antibodies against platelets. The Gov alloantigen system was used as the starting point, aiming to create the technologies for detection of anti-Gov antibodies in serum. The University of Cambridge also concentrated on the study of the GPVI gene and its product (a collagen glycoprotein receptor). Further research can establish whether GPVI is yet another alloantigen, which can be used for the development of diagnostic tools.
