A SAFER way to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes is a step closer thanks to the identification of a protein that controls the “stickiness” of blood.
When a blood vessel wall is damaged, cells that circulate in the blood called platelets send out tiny sticky “arms” that latch onto other platelets to form a blood clot (see photo, above). The arms also “glue” the clot to the injury, stemming the bleeding. But sometimes clots block arteries supplying the heart or brain, causing heart attacks and strokes.
To investigate the process, Yotis Senis, a British Heart…
