Platelet function in transfusion medicine

Blood platelets have a number of vital functions relating to blood coagulation. In several different clinical conditions, such as in cancer treatment and in surgery, platelets are consumed, which increases the risk of bleeding. This is treated by transfusion of platelets from healthy blood donors. These platelets are purified by various techniques, or stored with red blood cells and plasma in a whole blood unit. Both processing and storage affects platelet function and their capacity to circulate in the recipient after transfusion, but no reliable techniques are today available to evaluate this. In these projects, we study the function of donated platelets using flow cytometry, a technique where our unique protocols allow us to evaluate all of the most important platelet functions simultaneously, and follow the outcome in transfused patients.  Our long-term goal is to be able to better predict which platelet products to give to which patient, in order to gain optimal effect.