PROLONGED PRESERVATION OF HUMAN PLATELETS FOR COMBAT CASUALTY CARE

THE AIM OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP PROTOCOLS FOR THE LONG-TARTS CRYOPRESERVATION OF HUMAN PLATELETS FOR TRANSFUSION. OPTIMIZATION OF PLATELET ISOLATION AND CRYOPRESERVATION WILL BE COMBINED WITH SPECIFIC MODULATION OF STIMULUS RESPONSE COUPLING MECHANISMS IN THE PLATELET. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROCESSING PROCEDURE WILL BE MONITORED BY NUMERICAL RECOVERY, MORPHOLOGY AND IN VITRO FUNCTIONALITY. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF SECOND MESSEAGER RESPONSE MECHANISMS BY A NEWLY ESTABLISHED CRYOELECTRON MICROSCOPIC TECHNIQUE WILL CONSIDERABLY ENHANCE ANALYSIS AND FACILITATE INTERPRETATION OF PLATELET MODIFICATIONS. THIS APPROACH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GREATLY EXTEND THE CURRENT LIQUID PRESERVATION OF PLATELETS AND ENABLE LONG-TERM CRYOPRESERVATION, THEREBY ADDRESSING THE MAJOR CURRENT PROBLEMS OF PLATELET TRANSFUSION. CRYOPRESERVATION OF PLATELETS HAS SPECIFIC APPLICATION TO COMBAT MEDICAL SUPPORT AND AUTOLOGOUS PLATELET TRANSFUSION IN CHEMOTHERAPY. CRYOPRESERVATION AND PROLONGED LIQUID PRESERVATION HAS APPLICATION TO PLATELET SUPPLY IN GENERAL.