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HIT (Heparin induced thrombocytopenia)

 

Cells of the cardiovascular system can respond to surface binding of drug molecules by expressing new structures. A few patients form antibodies against these new structures, which can lead to severe complications. Antibodies of this type - induced by drugs but not directed against them - are now becoming increasingly important.

 

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a well-researched example of autoimmune disease induced by a drug. This disease affects up to 3% of all patients treated with heparin.  Even now, 10-20% of affected patients still die as a result of this drug side effect. The Institute for Immunology and Transfusion medicine at Ernst Moritz Arndt University in Greifswald has over 15 years' research experience in this area and is now recognized throughout the world as a center for the characterization of drug-induced autoantibodies (antibodies directed against structures within the individual's own body). The team at ZIK HIKE, one of Germany's leading research groups in this area, focuses particularly on disturbances affecting the biology and immunology of thrombocytes and on the therapeutic use of recombinant thrombin inhibitors. This opens up a new technology platform for the study of aggregated proteins acting as antigens. Such aggregates are often formed in the blood of patients receiving biologic drugs and can trigger autoimmune reactions.

 

DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy)
Underlying Mechanisms