Connecting questions from the clinic to the laboratory
As a pediatric hematologist and researcher, Branchford brings questions from patient care into the laboratory. His research examines how platelets, blood cells that help form clots, behave during inflammation and how those changes may contribute to thrombosis.
“As a pediatric hematologist, I see children develop blood clots, and I want to better understand why some are at greater risk than others,” Branchford said. “At Versiti, I can bring questions from patient care into the laboratory and study the biology behind them. This award gives us an opportunity to investigate those questions and, ultimately, work toward better ways to identify high risk children and develop better/safer prevention strategies.”
The HTRS-funded project focuses on Protein S, a protein involved in regulating blood clotting. Branchford and his collaborators are investigating a less-understood part of its biology: how Protein S associated with platelets may influence platelet activation and the stability of a developing blood clot.
By examining these functions separately, the researchers hope to better define the signaling pathways connecting inflammation, platelet activity, and thrombosis.
The work could ultimately help researchers identify more precise approaches to preventing or treating blood clots while preserving the normal clotting functions patients need.
Branchford credits VBRI’s collaborative research environment with helping him study pediatric thrombosis from multiple perspectives. His clinical work helps identify questions emerging from the care of children with blood clots, while VBRI provides the scientific expertise, research infrastructure, and collaboration needed to investigate the biology behind those questions.
Colleagues across VBRI, including scientific mentors, and the Office of Sponsored Programs, also provided input as Branchford developed the HTRS proposal.
Moving discovery toward better answers for children
With the award underway, Branchford and his team are translating the project’s research aims into individual experiments, with plans to share findings through scientific abstracts, presentations and publication.
The questions could have implications beyond thrombosis research. A clearer understanding of how inflammation changes platelet signaling may provide useful insight for clinicians caring for seriously ill children and for scientists studying the connections among blood clotting, inflammation and the immune system.
For Branchford, the work is another step toward building an independent research program that connects discoveries about blood clot formation with better ways to identify and protect children at risk.
It is also an example of the purpose at the heart of VBRI research: asking rigorous scientific questions today to help create better answers for patients tomorrow.
