Thrombosis (blood clotting) is a major contributor to the global disease burden. Research into haemorheology at Swansea involves a multidisciplinary collaboration between SUMS, College of Engineering and the NHS. A focus of this research is to provide diagnostic biomarkers capable of improved monitoring of therapeutic intervention and for the screening of patients with diseases associated with thrombosis.
Our translational programme of work involves the development of biomarkers of blood coagulation, based on the rheological measurement of incipient blood clots, through to clinical evaluation in an NHS environment. Our biomarkers are afforded through advances in rheometry and have undergone extensive studies in diseased patients, such as those with Stroke, Cancer, Sepsis, and Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Our research has provided an enhanced understanding of the relationships between blood clot microstructure and dynamics of coagulation, and how these are altered in diseased states.
The paper reports the development of a new analytical method for providing rheological properties in a simple step strain measurement, removing the need for oscillatory measurements. We show that this technique can precisely characterise a gelling system at the gel point.
This publication is an example of the HBRU’s clinical evaluation of a functional biomarker of clot microstructure. It reports the potential of the biomarker, to identify changes in the mechanical properties of clot microstructure across the sepsis spectrum (sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock).
This paper reports abnormal clot microstructures in VTE patients, which suggests either inadequate response to anticoagulant therapy or the presence of a procoagulant state not detected by other markers of coagulation (i.e., International Normalized Ratio)
