Effects of Shear Forces on Fibrinogen-to-Fibrin Conversion in the Presence of TMAO and Urea: A Microfluidic Investigation into Thrombosis

The conversion of fibrinogen into fibrin represents the final step of the coagulation cascade and it is essential for homeostasis. Disruptions in this process can lead to pathological conditions associated with an increased risk of thrombotic events due to changes in fibrin clot properties, such as altered structure, permeability, and mechanical stability. Although this process is highly influenced by the changes in blood flow dynamics, current understanding of fibrin polymerization under shear is limited, particularly regarding the nanoscale structural dynamics and real-time kinetics of fibrin assembly.
With this proposal we aim to address these gaps by integrating advanced microfluidic platforms, to resemble physiological flow conditions, with Synchrotron Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) to study fibrin network formation at the molecular level under different physiological and pathological conditions.