2008-12-06

The goal of the Minority Medical Student Award Program (MMSAP) is to increase the number of medical students in hematology from under-represented minority groups by introducing them to hematology in their early years of medical school. ASH News Daily is pleased to share a summary of the research conducted by current MMSAP participant Akram Shayeb in the summer of 2008. His research mentor was Thomas Kickler, MD, of Johns Hopkins University Medical School.

Background

Microparticles are small membrane-bound vesicles released by different cells either upon activation or apoptosis. Some of the cells that release microparticles are platelets, leukocytes, monocytes, endothelial, and malignant cells. They share common membrane and cytoplasmic constitutes with their parent cells, but they differ in many other characteristics. Platelet-derived microparticles are an important microparticle group because of their possible clinical relevance and promising use as platelet activation and prothrombin markers.

Method

Our study focused on platelet-derived microparticle characterization. One of our main objectives was to standardize microparticle measurement method at lab by using a commercially novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, we studied the significance of microparticle elevation using the ELISA assay in a sample of patients with suspected thrombosis.

The study was also designed to determine the correlation between platelet-derived microparticles and markers of platelet activation, such as P-selectin, and thrombin generation markers, such as d-dimer and the percentage of endogenous thrombin generation.

Outcomes

Results indicated presence of microparticles in normal population (3.1±1.2). No significant difference was observed due to gender bias (2.9±0.9 females vs. 3.2±1.5 p=0.5). Elevated levels of microparticles were defined as anything above 5 and definitely pathogenic beyond 10. No significant correlation was observed with microparticles and P-selectin, a platelet activation marker (p=0.1672); furthermore, we did not find a correlation with microparticles and markers of thrombin generation such as d-dimer (p=0.085) and percentage of endogenous thrombin generation (p=0.687).

Further characterization is needed for platelet-derived microparticles in order to establish their possible role as a research tool in thrombosis.

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