Seminar “Biomechanical features of the initial stages of platelet hemostasis”

Speaker: Aleksey Belyaev - M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics, Chair of Biophysics, Senior Research Fellow.

Topic: Biomechanical features of the initial stages of platelet hemostasis

Annotation. Platelet adhesion and activation are essential initial processes of arterial and microvascular hemostasis, where high hydrodynamic forces from the bloodflow impede coagulation. The process relies on von Willebrand factor (VWF) — a linear multimeric protein of blood plasma plays a pivotal role in mechano-chemical regulation of shear-induced platelet aggregation (SIPA). Adhesive interactions between VWF and glycoprotein receptors GPIb are crucial for platelet recruitment under high shear stress in the near-wall layers of the fluid. This talk is focused on biomechanical aspects of primary platelet hemostasis and the implications of 3D computer simulations resolving the mechanics of individual blood cells and VWF multimers for numerical investigation of this process. Quantitative understanding of mechano-chemical processes involved in SIPA would potentially promote the discovery of new anti-platelet medication and the development of multi-scale numerical models of platelet thrombosis and hemostasis.