Blood clotting regulation phenomenon unfolded, study

The study was carried out by Wesley P. Wong and his colleagues from the Rowland Institute at the Harvard University.

The Study and its Findings

For the study, the researchers manipulated single molecules using ‘optical tweezers’ to apply miniscule forces to these molecules while monitoring minute transformations in their length.

The forces were applied to the A2 domain of the blood-clotting protein called von Willebrand factor (VWF) which is highly-sensitive and that acts as a ‘force sensor’ in the human body.

It was found that the most minuscule force causes these A2 molecules to unfurl and lose their complex, three-dimensional structure. After the molecules unfold, the enzyme ADAMTS13, an enzyme present in the body starts its job. It cuts these molecules which results in controlling the size of the blood clot.

"A central aspect of this response to damage is the ability to bring bleeding to an end, a process known as hemostasis. Yet regulating hemostasis is a complex balancing act,” says Wong.

An increased hemostatic activity can lead to excessive blood clotting resulting in ‘thrombosis’ which is a lethal condition. And if this hemostatic activity is very less then a person can bleed to death.

The Wonder Treatment

VWF maintains a balance between blood clotting and bleeding. Bleeding disorders and heart attacks can be caused by VWF abnormalities in the body.

Professor Jeremy Pearson from the British Heart Foundation, says, “These researchers have deciphered how a crucial part of a crucial protein in our circulation is built. This helps us understand how it works in controlling the amount we bleed after injury, while preventing blood clots forming in the wrong place.”

New milestones in treating injuries and bleeding disorders such as type 2A von Willebrand disease and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura can be achieved by a better knowledge of the mechanism of blot clotting.