10.25419/rcsi.10805912.v1 Sinéad O'Brien Sinéad O'Brien A Novel in vitro Microfluidic Flow Assay for Quantitative Assessment of Initial Platelet Adhesion on von Willebrand Factor in Arterial Flowing Blood: Assessment of this Platelet Function Assay in Healthy and Cardiovascular Disease States Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland 2019 Blood Platelets Cardiovascular Diseases 2019-11-22 17:50:35 Thesis https://repository.rcsi.com/articles/thesis/A_Novel_in_vitro_Microfluidic_Flow_Assay_for_Quantitative_Assessment_of_Initial_Platelet_Adhesion_on_von_Willebrand_Factor_in_Arterial_Flowing_Blood_Assessment_of_this_Platelet_Function_Assay_in_Healthy_and_Cardiovascular_Disease_States/10805912 <p>Platelet behaviour on immobilized vascular proteins has been explored to great length over the last four decades. While light transmission aggregometry remains the gold standard of platelet function testing, the ability to assess platelet function in more physiological conditions would be preferential.</p> <p>To this end, we have developed a novel shear mediated parallel plate flow chamber with a view to assessing platelet behaviour on reproducible vascular protein surfaces, providing a quantitative assessment of this platelet protein interaction.</p> <p>This thesis will describe in detail the optimization and characterization of immobilized Von Willebrand Factor and collagen protein surfaces to provide reproducible vascular protein surfaces. The development of a custom designed novel software to quantitatively assess this platelet protein interaction, and the subsequent development of a novel hydrodynamically shaped microfluidic flow device to considerably minimise sample volume requirements.</p> <p>The development o f this shear mediated assay and novel designed software program allow a difference in the behaviour of platelets on VWF in a normal healthy population and a cardiovascular disease population to be shown in a number of measurable outputs.</p>