Structural characterization of cardiac, coronary and carotid macro-/micro-thrombi in COVID-19 positive and negative patients by SAXS and WAX

This project aims at gaining novel insight in two pathological mechanisms observed in the vascular system supplying the heart and brain of COVID-19 patients as an adverse consequence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, i.e. the development of 1) macroscopic thrombi (MTs) in epicardial coronary and carotid arteries and 2) peripheral microscopic thrombi (µTs) in myocardial and brain microvasculature. Few pathology studies have been conducted thus far and a precise mechanistic understanding is still needed. We propose the use of a combination of different synchrotron analysis techniques (X-ray micro- & nano-CT, fluorescence microscopy & small and wide angle scattering-SAXS/WAXS) for the characterization of the morphology, composition and structure of the MTs and µTs. In this specific experiment, we will apply SAXS/WAXS for structural analysis of the packing structure of fibrin fibers and other microstructural components within MTs and µTs from COVID-19 positive vs negative patients.