Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 21: Poster IIIb

BP 21.4: Poster

Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 11:00–14:30, Poster C

Reversible formation of von willebrand factor platelet aggregates in blood flow — •Alper Topuz, Gerhard Gompper, and Dmitry A. Fedosov — Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-5), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany

Blood is a complex fluid that comprises of red blood cells, platelets, and various proteins suspended in plasma. Platelets and von Willebrand factor (vWF) proteins play a pivotal role in hemostasis (blood clotting). At high shear stresses, vWF molecules can stretch and become adhesive, so that they form bonds with encountered platelets, resulting in the formation of vWF-platelet aggregates. We employ hydrodynamic simulations together with explicit deformable cells and stretchable vWF polymers to model this aggregation-disaggregation process in blood flow. The aggregate formation is found to primarily occur near walls due to large wall-shear stresses. After reaching a critical size, the aggregates migrate away from the walls toward the vessel center. Under healthy conditions, vWF-platelet aggregates are reversible, as they dissociate again when the surrounding shear stresses become small. We explore different binding properties between vWF and platelets, which affect the reversibility of the aggregates and investigate the corresponding formation and disassociation characteristics of the aggregates. Understanding the aggregation process in blood flow is crucial in several pathologies such as thrombi formation and possible vessel blockage.

Keywords: blood flow; von Willebrand Factor; aggregate formation; margination