Introduction to the Brook Lodge Workshop on Animal and Human Models in Thrombosis Research

Abstract

Remarkable progress has been made in the field of thrombosis research in the past decade. The platelet has been shown to have an important part not only in hemostasis but also in the pathogenesis of thromboembolic disorders. Much has been learned about platelet-vessel wall interactions and such factors as lipids and prostaglandins in promoting hemostasis and possibly thrombosis. That more should be learned about the initial reactions — those involving platelets and the vessel wall — in the genesis of a thrombus seems particularly important because their regulation can offer new opportunities to prevent thromboembolic disease.