Research directions
Procoagulant COAT platelets
At sites of vascular injury, platelets become exposed to collagen and thrombin, the strongest physiologic platelet agonists. We have described and characterized a fraction of platelets that, upon combined activation by collagen and thrombin, become highly efficient in sustaining thrombin generation (Blood 2000;95:1694), loose their aggregating properties, and retain a coat of prohemostatic α-granules proteins on their surface (Nature 2002;415:175). This novel concept of procoagulant platelets representing a critical aspect of the platelet response is nowadays accepted (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2013;33:1747; J Thromb Haemost. 2013;11:2). Work performed over the years as well as current interests and collaborations our research group are presented at our website: https://www.chuv.ch/fr/hematologie/hem-home/recherche/axes-de-recherche/pr-lorenzo-alberio-1
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)
HIT represents a fascinating hemostatic paradox (thrombocytopenic anticoagulated patients develop a life-threatening prothrombotic state) and a challenging clinical problem. Over the years our group has investigated mechanistic, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of HIT (Thromb Haemost 2004;91:276; J Thromb Haemost 2009;7:1649; Blood 2009;113:2402). In particular, we have developed and prospectively validated a Bayesian diagnostic approach in order to reach a rapid exclusion or confirmation of suspected HIT, which has changed our clinical practice (Haematologica 2012;97:89; Blood 2020;135:1171). Current interests and collaborations our research group are presented at our website: https://www.chuv.ch/fr/hematologie/hem-home/recherche/axes-de-recherche/pr-lorenzo-alberio-1
Thrombin generation and fibrin clot formation
Thrombin generation assays are "global coagulation assays" that have the capacity to give an overall evaluation of the individual coagulation potential. Recent work of our group has shown that global coagulation assays are able to identify conditions that are undetected by routine assays, such as hypercoagulability (Thromb Res 2020;187:91), the clinical phenotype of FXI deficient patients (Thromb Haemost 2021;121:150), a prothrombotic profile in liver cirrhosis (JHEP Rep 2020;2:100120). Current interests and collaborations our research group are presented at our website: https://www.chuv.ch/fr/hematologie/hem-home/recherche/axes-de-recherche/pr-lorenzo-alberio-1
