An international team led by researchers from the Universities of Leicester and Cambridge has announced a breakthrough in identifying people at risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots that can lead to heart attack.
The research is part of a programme to discover novel genes regulating platelets; the tiny cells in the blood that stick together to form a blood clot. Understanding what makes these cells more “sticky” in some people could provide potential therapeutic targets for treatment of cardiovascular disease. Professor Alison Goodall, of the department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Leicester, explained that the research had uncovered a new molecule that plays an important role in platelets: “Studies in a large number of NHS patients who experienced a heart attack and healthy controls suggests that genetic differences in the gene for this protein slightly modify the risk for blood clots. This type of study will help us to unravel the complex question why some people have a higher risk of a heart attack than others. One day this type of research may lead to a new generation of drugs that can be used to reduce the risk of this devastating disease.”
