Description of Research Expertise

I have extensive clinical training and research experience in the fields of autoimmunity and hematology, giving me an ideal background for unraveling molecular and cellular interactions involved in hemostasis and thrombosis. Most of my research for the past few years has been on the pathogenesis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), an immune mediated thrombotic disorder. Since 2003, I have been continuously funded through extramural grants in the field of HIT. My research on HIT has provided seminal insights into understanding the nature of the antigenic complexes formed by platelet factor 4 (PF4) and heparin, and my recent studies on the role of monocytes in HIT demonstrate the importance of monocyte-platelet interactions, altogether leading to a new concept for the thrombosis accompanying delayed HIT. I also have expertise in the use of mouse models of HIT, including both large and small vessel thrombosis, and in microfluidic models of HIT, studying platelet and leucocyte adhesion and fibrin formation under controlled shear stress conditions.