Immune-mediated thrombocytopenias, ITP, Transfusion Medicine, Pulmonary Transfusion reactions, TRALI, TACO.

The research line is focused on unraveling the pathophysiology and improving the diagnostics of benign immune-hematological disorders. This includes immune-responses towards 1) Platelets: the autoimmune bleeding disorder Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP), vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), platelet transfusion refractoriness and towards 2) Endothelium: particularly Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), and also Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO); both in which the pulmonary endothelium is targeted resulting in acute respiratory distress and pulmonary edema, and together they are the leading causes of Transfusion-related mortality. We work in close collaboration with Sanquin Diagnostics, which functions as the national reference center for antibody-testing in ITP patients, and for diagnostics for suspected VITT, HIT and TRALI patients. In addition, we collaborate with clinicians who treat patients with the aforementioned immune-hematological disorders. Furthermore, we utilize and develop clinically-relevant animal models of these immune-hematological disorders to obtain insights into the pathophysiology, which is overall incompletely understood. Collectively, we aim to identify much needed novel and specific biomarkers and pre-clinical therapeutic targets, and use the obtained pathophysiological insights to innovate diagnostic approaches.