Blood clotting in the wrong place at the wrong time is responsible for up to 50% of the morbidity and mortality of the population through diseases such as heart attack, stroke, venous thrombosis. It also contributes to cancer progression and cancer related death. Blood clotting is initiated when a protein on the cell surface known as tissue factor becomes active. We will determine how activation of tissue factor participates in the blood clotting process. This will help in disease prevention.
Tissue factor is a central and major player in the clotting process. It exists in both active and inactive forms. The active form initiates clot formation. How it gets activated is one of the most important unanswered questions in this area of research. Our aim is to discover tissue factorÍs mechanism of activation. The outcome will provide more specific targets for therapeutic drug development for cardiovascular disease, strokes and deep venous thrombosis.