Versiti Blood Research Institute Articles
Creating the blood products of the future
Genetically engineered transfusable platelets could be used to improve blood banking and treat patients with cancer, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.
Platelets are one of four components, along with white blood cells, red blood cells and plasma, that make up your blood. Named for their plate-like appearance, they play a key role in hemostasis, the body’s natural process of stopping bleeding. In addition to their Band-Aid capabilities, platelets also play a crucial role in various physiological processes, including inflammation, cancer development and sepsis.
Versiti Blood Research Institute (VBRI) Senior Investigator Christian Kastrup, PhD, was recently featured on the cover of the scientific journal Blood for his lab’s discovery of a novel method for enhancing platelet therapies, which potentially broadens their application beyond their traditional uses.
Stabilizing platelets
Platelets are used to stop bleeding or reduce the risk of bleeding in patients with low platelet counts. They are usually stored at room temperature to maintain their efficacy, making them viable for only five days post-donation. Researchers have explored chilling platelets, which extends their shelf life but decreases their function, but have not come up with a perfect solution.
Dr. Kastrup’s lab set out to understand how platelets might be enhanced to control their function, maintain their stability and extend their shelf life. They successfully demonstrated the feasibility of introducing platelets to lipid nanoparticles that contain mRNA, a molecule that carries the instructions for how a cell should behave. “We showed that platelets were still functional with this mRNA treatment and that they didn’t lose any functions—but that they gained functions,” he said. “This marks a significant milestone in platelet research, as it is the first time platelets have been transfected directly in plasma and plasma-based solutions, a critical step toward clinical compatibility.”
Other applications for genetically engineered platelets
Dr. Kastrup’s team is also exploring other uses for platelets modified with mRNA. One application includes using platelets to alleviate inflammation that occurs in pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis. “We’re exploring having platelets express proteins that are anti-inflammatory,” he said, with the hope that they could even be used to break down clots. “This technology could enable that.”
Another key avenue of research is using platelets to treat patients with cancer. “Platelets are given to many cancer patients because they have low platelet counts and they are at risk for bleeding,” Dr. Kastrup said. “Platelets accumulate in tumors, but they don’t directly fight the tumors. There is an unexplored opportunity to use platelets to deliver anti-cancer proteins and anti-tumor proteins so that platelets can normalize platelet counts and slow down or eliminate the spread of cancer.”
Dr. Kastrup is quick to note that this research is in its infancy, and that it will be years before this type of treatment is approved for patients. But he says that Versiti Blood Research Institute is well positioned to propel this work. “Versiti is the only place where this technology breakthrough is happening,” he said. “The reason we’re able to do this is because of support from the Versiti Blood Research Institute Foundation and the close collaboration between the research labs and the overall blood center. It’s uniquely suited to Versiti.”
He believes that, eventually, mRNA-enhanced platelets will be a game changer for patients. “Platelet transfusions will be more effective because we will have enhanced their functions,” he said. “Once this is realized, patients are more likely to get the platelets that they need, and there is the potential to expand transfusions for additional uses.”
“We’re creating the blood products of the future.”
Read the abstract in Blood.
About the expert: Christian Kastrup, PhD, is a senior investigator and program co-leader of Transfusion Medicine, Vascular Biology & Cell Therapy at Versiti Blood Research Institute.