Discovery reveals more about the Birth of Platelets

European research has led to a deeper understanding of how certain blood producing cells function.  The study was lead by researcher Marloes Tijssen and focused on bone marrow cells which produce platelets that are necessary for normal blood clotting.

“Increasing our knowledge of how these cells work to form platelets will contribute to the improvement of human health, as platelets are known to be major players in heart and blood vessel disease that can cause heart attacks and strokes,” says Tijssen in a press release.

These bone marrow cells, referred to as “megakaryocytes” come from the same blood stem cells as the more commonly known red and white blood cells.  Understanding of how these cells function could lead to breakthroughs in lab produced platelets for patients who require transfusions.

“…patients with low platelet counts, often induced by cancer treatment, currently receive platelets harvested from donors. With every transfusion, there is the risk of transmission of blood-borne infectious diseases. Therefore, ultimately, we would want to replace these donor-derived products with safer platelets produced in the laboratory.”

Photo credit: wikipedia.org

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