PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Discovery could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding

2013-10-28
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Sharon Parmet
sparmet@uic.edu
312-413-2695
University of Illinois at Chicago
Discovery could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a molecular switch that causes small, beneficial clots that stop bleeding to enlarge further during wound healing. By blocking this switch in lab mice, the researchers prevented small clots from growing -- a process that can pose a danger in humans -- while preserving their ability to staunch bleeding. Their findings, published online in Nature, open up the possibility for developing potent anti-clotting drugs that don't raise the risk of bleeding. "Existing anti-clotting drugs significantly reduce the body's ability to form blood clots, so people on these drugs are at risk of serious bleeding," says Xiaoping Du, professor of pharmacology in the UIC College of Medicine and lead author of the paper. "By exploiting this switch we found, we can develop very powerful drugs that prevent the big clots that cause heart attacks and strokes, while preserving the body's ability to form the smaller, primary clots you need to stop bleeding." Anti-clotting drugs, also known as blood thinners, can help prevent strokes, heart attacks, and deep vein clots. They are also prescribed to reduce the risk of dangerous clots after surgery. But the drugs also increase the risk of bleeding, and must be used with great care. Du and colleagues investigated a protein called integrin, found in the cell membrane of platelets, the specialized blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding. Signals given off by injured or torn blood vessels activate integrin, which directs the platelets to bind to the injured blood vessel and to other platelets through a linking-protein called fibrinogen. This cross-linking results in a primary clot, good enough to stop the bleeding in most minor cuts. The UIC researchers discovered that once fibrinogen gets involved, another molecule called G-alpha-13 latches on to integrin and causes the clot to grow much bigger -- to ensure the bleeding is stopped. Normally, the enlarged clot will shrink back. But in people prone to developing dangerous clots, or in those with narrowed arteries, the enlarged clots can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Having found that G-alpha-13 is responsible for ramping up the clotting process, the researchers were able to develop a molecule that blocks G-alpha-13 from binding to integrin. Mice given the blocker-drug can form primary clots that stop bleeding but never enter the growth phase. "This is exciting, because new drugs based on blocking G-alpha-13 can preserve the ability to form primary clots, which are necessary to heal wounds, but will prevent the clots from growing too large and clogging blood vessels," Du said. ### Bo Shen, Xiaojuan Zhao, Kelly O'Brien, Aleksandra Stojanovic-Terpo, M. Keegan Delaney, Kyungho Kim, Jaehyung Cho, and Stephen C. T. Lam, all from UIC, are co-authors of the research paper. This research was supported by grants HL080264, HL062350 and HL109439 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

GVSU study on gender: Who counts as a man and who counts as a woman

2013-10-28
GVSU study on gender: Who counts as a man and who counts as a woman ALLENDALE, Mich. — Gender is no longer determined solely by biological factors, according to a new study by a Grand Valley State University researcher whose article, "Doing Gender, Determining ...

Chewing their way to success

2013-10-28
Chewing their way to success How mice and rats developed a unique masticatory apparatus making them evolutionary champions The subfamily of rodents known as Murinae (mice, rats, etc.), which first appeared in Asia 12 million years ago, spread ...

'Designer' sedative may provide new alternative for colonoscopy

2013-10-28
'Designer' sedative may provide new alternative for colonoscopy Remimazolam combines good sedation with fast onset and recovery San Francisco, CA. (October 28, 2013) – Developed using molecular-level techniques, the "designer" sedative drug remimazolam ...

Young fibromyalgia patients report worse symptoms than older patients, Mayo Clinic study shows

2013-10-28
Young fibromyalgia patients report worse symptoms than older patients, Mayo Clinic study shows Research is among several Mayo studies being presented at American College of Rheumatology meeting SAN DIEGO -- It may seem counterintuitive, but young and middle-aged fibromyalgia ...

Researchers discover how cancer 'invisibility cloak' works

2013-10-28
Researchers discover how cancer 'invisibility cloak' works Lipid secreted by tumors inhibits immune response against cancer Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how a lipid secreted by cancer tumors prevents the immune system from mounting ...

Reproductive biologists move in vitro fertilization knowledge forward

2013-10-28
Reproductive biologists move in vitro fertilization knowledge forward 2 new papers from reproductive biologists at UMass Amherst report advances in understanding the basic processes of sperm capacitation that may one day improve IVF success by ...

Bumps in the road to developing long-lasting, single-injection nerve blocks

2013-10-28
Bumps in the road to developing long-lasting, single-injection nerve blocks A study of liposomal bupivacaine gives encouraging -- but puzzling -- results San Francisco, CA. (October 28, 2013) – Can a new liposomal bupivacaine product provide long-lasting ...

Study of Brazilian Amazon shows 50,000 km of road was built in just 3 years

2013-10-28
Study of Brazilian Amazon shows 50,000 km of road was built in just 3 years Nearly 17,000 kilometres of road were built in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest every year between 2004 and 2007. Although road-building is a major contributor to deforestation ...

Climate change has silver lining for grizzlies

2013-10-28
Climate change has silver lining for grizzlies Global warming and forest disturbances may have a silver lining for threatened species of grizzly bears in Alberta, Canada. In a 10-year study that monitored 112 bears in Alberta's Rocky Mountain region, University ...

Untangling Alzheimer's disease

2013-10-28
Untangling Alzheimer's disease Tel Aviv University researchers identify specific molecules that could be targeted to treat the disorder Plaques and tangles made of proteins are believed to contribute to the debilitating progression of Alzheimer's disease. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

MSK Research Highlights, October 31, 2025

Lisbon to host world’s largest conference on ecosystem restoration in 2027, led by researcher from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon

Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overview

Scripps Research awarded $6.9 million by NIH to crack the code of lasting HIV vaccine protection

New post-hoc analysis shows patients whose clinicians had access to GeneSight results for depression treatment are more likely to feel better sooner

First transplant in pigs of modified porcine kidneys with human renal organoids

Reinforcement learning and blockchain: new strategies to secure the Internet of Medical Things

Autograph: A higher-accuracy and faster framework for compute-intensive programs

Expansion microscopy helps chart the planktonic universe

Small bat hunts like lions – only better

As Medicaid work requirements loom, U-M study finds links between coverage, better health and higher employment

Manifestations of structural racism and inequities in cardiovascular health across US neighborhoods

Prescribing trends of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists for type 2 diabetes or obesity

Continuous glucose monitoring frequency and glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes

Bimodal tactile tomography with bayesian sequential palpation for intracavitary microstructure profiling and segmentation

IEEE study reviews novel photonics breakthroughs of 2024

New method for intentional control of bionic prostheses

Obesity treatment risks becoming a ‘two-tier system’, researchers warn

Researchers discuss gaps, obstacles and solutions for contraception

Disrupted connectivity of the brainstem ascending reticular activating system nuclei-left parahippocampal gyrus could reveal mechanisms of delirium following basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage

Federated metadata-constrained iRadonMAP framework with mutual learning for all-in-one computed tomography imaging

‘Frazzled’ fruit flies help unravel how neural circuits stay wired

Improving care for life-threatening blood clots

Yonsei University develops a new era of high-voltage solid-state batteries

Underweight and unbalanced: Gut microbial diversity in underweight Japanese women

Astringent, sharper mind: Flavanols trigger brain activity for memory and stress response

New editorial urges clinicians to address sex-based disparities in sepsis treatment

Researchers at MIT develop new nanoparticles that stimulate the immune system to attack ovarian tumors

Opening the door to a vaccine for multiple childhood infections

New clue to ALS and FTD: Faulty protein disrupts brain’s ‘brake’ system

[Press-News.org] Discovery could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding