Dr Ruben Bierings and his colleagues have received an NWO grant of € 750k for molecular research into blood clotting diseases.
During an injury, bleeding is stopped by the clotting protein Von Willebrand Factor, which causes a blood clot to form at the site of the injury. To achieve this, blood vessels must produce this protein and secrete it in a controlled manner when a wound occurs. Abnormalities in this process can lead to clotting disorders, with patients suffering from frequent bleeding.
Patient cells under the microscope
In this research, Ruben Bierings and colleagues from the Hematology department of Erasmus MC, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Groningen, will investigate how endothelial cells on the inside of the blood vessel wall store and secrete the protein Von Willebrand factor. Using a microscopy technique specially developed in Groningen (FRET-FLIM), the precise location and functioning of proteins involved in that process will be investigated in endothelial cells of patients with blood clotting diseases. With this new knowledge, the diagnosis of blood clotting diseases can be improved in the future and new treatments can possibly be developed for patients.
Bierings and colleagues are pleased that the research grant has been awarded. Bierings: 'For a large proportion of patients who come to the Erasmus MC because of bleeding complaints, it is currently impossible to determine what the cause of their bleeding problems is. In order to provide better care for these patients in the future, fundamental research into blood clotting disorders is extremely important.'
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