The role of the platelet cytoskeleton in platelet mechanics (A06)

• Subject Area: Hematology, Oncology ; Biophysics ; Cell Biology
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 374031971

The biophysical properties of blood cells are crucial for their function. Application of this label-free biomarker in diagnostics, drug repurposing and monitoring of diseases is an unmet need in regenerative medicine. In a top-down strategy, we will employ the high-throughput technique real-time fluorescence and deformability cytometry to link the mechanical properties of platelets after drug treatment (mechanopharmacology), in disease settings or after changes in the intracellular pH to underlying molecular alterations. This approach might identify previously unknown molecular targets to understand platelet physiology from a biomechanical point of view.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 240: Platelets – Molecular, cellular and systemic functions in health and disease
• Applicant Institution: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Markus Bender; Professor Dr. Oliver Otto; Raghavendra Palankar, Ph.D., until 6/2022