Platelets protect the body from blood loss. When vessels are damaged, they become activated: they abruptly change shape and acquire the ability to “stick” to each other and to the vessel wall, creating a blood clot that helps stop bleeding. When the level in the blood increases, platelets clog blood vessels and interfere with blood circulation, which can have dangerous consequences.
Platelets are very sensitive and can become activated when even small amounts of certain substances enter the bloodstream. In some diseases they are activated even without damaging the vessel. This causes thrombosis, heart attacks, strokes and blockage of blood vessels.
– Activated platelets begin to stick together forming aggregates. And this is already a dangerous condition. We, as physicists, want to study how they react to external influences and understand this process through the unique experimental techniques we have developed. In our technique, platelets are activated by a laser pulse. This allows you to target a specific cell and see it activate in real time. Using a brief laser flash, we convert the substance into an active form, which then attaches to the platelet receptor and triggers an activation cascade. And we can observe this whole process from start to finish,” said laboratory director Alexander Moskalensky.
According to the study, the data obtained in the future will make it possible to more rationally control the functioning of the platelet component of hemostasis in clinical practice and for disease prevention.
