Overview

• Blood clots engineered without platelets contracted by over 20%, demonstrating active red blood cell involvement.
• A mathematical model by Prashant Purohit attributes the primary contractile force to osmotic depletion between densely packed red blood cells.
• Experiments removing molecules responsible for red blood cell surface-bridging confirmed minimal contribution of bridging forces.
• Publication in Blood Advances in August 2025 overturns the century-old belief that platelets alone drive clot contraction.
• Researchers are exploring applications ranging from thrombocytopenia treatments to strategies for reducing stroke-causing emboli.