In her doctoral thesis, Janine Hulstein presents a new method for measuring the level of active VWF (Von Willebrand Factor) in the blood.
Using this method, she found that active VWF plays a role in a number of diseases: Von Willebrand disease type 2B, thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura, HELLP syndrome (a serious complication in pregnancy), and antiphospholipid syndrome. Too much VWF in the blood leads to excessive consumption of blood platelets, which in the end leads to below-normal blood platelet levels and possibly to thrombosis. By binding with blood platelets, active VWF forms a kind of adhesive between the platelets in the blood clot.
Janine Hulstein received her PhD from Utrecht University on December 7. The title of her thesis is, “Active Von Willebrand Factor, thrombocytopenia, and thrombosis.”