As it was known by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that almost 100,000 Americans die annually from blood clots, scientists discovered a method to prevent the mortality rate from rising. The researchers then found out that a small therapeutic molecule is necessary for the body to prevent blood clotting.
According to Science Daily, researchers from University Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the Cleveland Clinic discovered a method to successfully mediate the body’s blood clotting especially for those people at risk of heart attack and stroke.
With that said, the study published in the journal Nature Communications discovered that the key to the process is a therapeutic molecule receptor known as Mac-1, which resides on the surfaces of white blood cells. Meanwhile, the other key was identified to be GPIbα which is seen on surfaces of platelets that form clots. It was found out by the team that a therapeutic small molecule binds to the Mac 1 molecule.
Moreover, the blood clotting is detected to be blocked by the therapeutic molecule. The engineered lab mice subjected to the therapeutic molecule was then seen to block the blood clots that later form heart attacks and strokes. The mice exposed to the molecule were also said to stop minor bleeding and maintain normal blood coagulation as well as reported by News Medical.
"We have found a new thrombosis target that does not increase bleeding risk. Our discovery indicates that you can identify a new pathway and target that mediates blood clotting, but does not affect our body's natural processes to stop bleeding, called hemostasis," said senior author Daniel I. Simon, MD, President, UH Cleveland Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
Nonetheless, today’s available anti-blood-clotting medicines such as Xarelto/rivaroxaban, warfarin, Eliquis/apixaban were said to successfully prevent blood clots. However, the aforementioned medicines including antiplatelet agents (Plavix/clopdigorel, Brilinta/ticagrelor, aspirin) were said to possibly increase bleeding and transfusion amid stopping the risk of heart attack and stroke.
