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![\"untitled-design-48\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fd9469db-38b4-48c6-8c0c-13055d85a69a.sized-1000x1000.png\")
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Signage of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Isabella Crawford Eng<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t, Devansh Raniwala<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Researchers at the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine discovered that red blood cells play a critical role in the contraction of blood clots in the body.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The study<\/a> \u2014 which was published in Blood Advances<\/a> \u2014 was co-authored by Penn scholars investigating how red blood cells contribute to the blood clot contraction and stabilization. The findings marked a shift in how red blood cells have been researched, as past literature has overlooked their role in targeting blood clots.\n\t\t<\/p>\n In an interview with Penn Today<\/a>, professor of Cell and Developmental Biology John Weisel explained that researchers previously attributed clot contraction solely to platelets, which manipulate the fibrin protein to shrink clots and stabilize them.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cRed blood cells were thought to be passive bystanders,\u201d Weisel told Penn Today. \u201cWe thought they were just helping the clot to make a better seal.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Upon discovering that blood clots were able to stabilize without the presence of platelets, Prashant Purohit, a professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, developed a mathematical model that identified \u201cosmotic depletion\u201d as being the primary driver of clot contraction in the absence of platelet activity. This model was then confirmed through a series of experiments by first author and Medical School researcher Alina Peshkova.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n In the study, red blood cell-induced clot shrinkage was linked to reinforced blood clot contraction<\/a>, especially in circumstances such as thrombocytopenia<\/a> \u2014 a condition characterized by an abnormally low number of platelets in the blood.\u00a0\n\t<\/p>\n Rustem Litvinov, a senior researcher at Perelman School of Medicine, told Penn Today<\/a> that the finding \u201creshapes how we understand one of the body\u2019s most vital processes,\u201d and has promising implications for the research and treatment of conditions that influence platelet function.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt also opens the door to new strategies for studying and potentially treating clotting disorders that cause either excessive bleeding or dangerous clots, like those seen in strokes,” Litvinov continued.\n<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, our model is going to be helpful in understanding, preventing, and treating diseases related to clotting inside the bloodstream,\u201d Purohit said.<\/p>\n The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation<\/a> to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.<\/p>\n