Researcher identifies targets for better anti-thrombotic medicine
(PHYSorg.com Medicine & Health)

Blood platelets shore up open wounds and help cuts heal, but they can also cause heart attacks and strokes when a congealed ball of platelets known as a thrombus breaks free from a site of injury and gets lodged in blood vessels that feed oxygen to the brain or heart. Blood thinners, such as aspirin, reduce the risk of thrombus formation but also interfere with the initial clot formation that is essential for preventing blood loss from the wounds. Now researchers have discovered that a molecule plays a role in thrombus development, but not the initial clot formation, suggesting a new avenue for developing more specific and protective blood thinners. The results were published May 24 in the journal PLOS ONE.