Protein Interaction Causing Rare but Deadly Vaccine-related Clotting Found
Published:05 Dec.2023 Source:University of Birmingham
A mechanism that led some patients to experience cases of deadly clotting following some types of Covid-19 vaccination has been identified in new research. Scientists have been able to identify how deadly blood clots, in the disease known as Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT), occur.
In this latest study, the team used blood taken from healthy donors, as well as serum and plasma from patients with VITT, and have been able to learn for the first time how PF4 was directly involved in the activation of platelets and resulted in thrombotic events. By sticking to a receptor called c-Mpl on the surface of platelets, PF4 triggered the production of the small cells known to cause clotting. Variations on a drug used to treat bone marrow cancers could be developed to protect VITT patients from deadly clotting, the research also found.
The team used ruxolitinib, a drug used to treat some types of blood cancer, to block the receptor being triggered by PF4 following the vaccine-induced event. Although they note that the current form of the drug is unsuitable for use in VITT patients, the team nevertheless identified that blocking the pathway through ruxolitinib slowed down platelet aggregation and demonstrates a potential future way to protect patients from blood clots.