5th ibiTea on March 8, 2022: This event took place in the past, the registration is closed.
Going With the Flow—The Tale of Von Willebrand Factor
Presented by Dr. Tom McKinnon, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
ibidi VI 0.1 flow chamber slides were coated with collagen and perfused with whole blood drawn from a healthy volunteer, then perfused over the collagen surface at 1500s-1. Platelets were rendered fluorescent with DiOC6, and images were captured in real-time.
ibiTea Topic Outline
In our 5th ibiTea, Dr. McKinnon will talk about the structure and function of Von Willebrand Factor (VWF) and how shear-based assays have helped shape our knowledge of this critical hemostatic protein. VWF is a large multimeric plasma glycoprotein that is essential for normal hemostasis. Quantitative or qualitative deficiency of VWF leads to a bleeding disorder known as Von Willebrand's Disease. Conversely, elevated plasma levels, and the failure to process large VWF multimers, result in excessive thrombosis. VWF is stored in and secreted from endothelial cells, where its expression is partly controlled by shear stress. Once released from the endothelium, the conformation of the molecule is highly responsive to the shear forces encountered in the vascular system. Thus, the use of flow-based models is critical to understanding VWF biology.
Speaker
Dr. Tom McKinnon
Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Dr. Tom McKinnon is a Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London, working in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis. His main focus is on the structure and function of Von Willebrand Factor and the clinical implications of abnormal VWF function. Much of his work relies on performing shear-based perfusion assays to examine blood coagulation and thrombosis in real-time.