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• Medicine

• Cardiology

Thrombosis is the focus of our laboratory. Platelet mediated thrombosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Remarkably there are no diagnostic tests to predict who is at risk for recurrent vascular events due to increased platelet reactivity. We have developed and patented a number of assays that assess platelet function in new ways. These assays are currently in use in clinical trials in different patient cohorts. By understanding platelet function we aim to guide therapy in both primary and secondary prevention.

Cowman J, Dunne E, Oglesby I, Byrne B, Ralph A, Voisin B, Mullers S, Ricco AJ, Kenny D. Age related changes are more profound in women than men. Sci. Rep. 2015;5:12235. doi: 10.1038/srep12235

Cowman J, Quinn N, Geoghegan S, M?llers S, Olgesby I, Byrne B, Somers M, Ralph A, Voisin B, Ricco AJ, Molloy EJ, Kenny D. Dynamic platelet function on von Willebrand factor is different in preterm neonates compared with full-term neonates: changes in neonatal platelet function. J Thromb Haemost. (In Press)

Aspirin is used in primary and secondary prevention of thrombosis and cancer. It is not clear what is an appropriate dose of aspirin for any given individual. Moreover there is a wide range of low dose aspirin that is effective and aspirin has pleotropic effects. Using novel physiological assays of platelet function our preliminary data clearly demonstrates a heterogeneous response to aspirin in both patients and normal donors. This suggests that we can identify patients in whom aspirin therapy is not optimal. The primary aim of this study is to determine if a novel diagnostic assay of platelet function can guide a precision dose of aspirin. To do this the candidate will work with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, nurses and high end computing staff to characterize the platelet response from normal donors and patients with disease. In addition to the potential for high impact papers this project will give a clinician a broad understanding of advanced technology in clinical use and how to integrate a diverse multidisciplinary team to resolve clinical questions.