Novel methods to analyze platelet activation with the NovoCyte flow cytometer

The “gold standard” used to measure platelet function is light transmission aggregometry (LTA) where platelet aggregation is measured by changes in light transmission on a spectrometer. However, LTA is cumbersome and results vary with platelet count, making it unsuitable for patients with thrombocytopenia. In addition, LTA requires a large volume of blood while investigating only one aspect of platelet function. Therefore, improved methods to measure platelet function are needed.

Flow cytometry has already been widely used to diagnose several platelet disorders and recently, techniques have been developed to measure platelet function. Measuring platelet activity by flow cytometry offers several advantages over LTA in that only small amount of blood volumes are needed, whole blood can be used, and results are independent of platelet count. Furthermore, the possibility of ready-made tubes with fixative would extend the time between blood collection and analysis, crucial for field testing. In this application note, we have measured platelet function in two ways: expression of CD62P and by frequency of platelet-leukocyte aggregates.

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