Hemostasis and immunity

The group studies the contribution of vitamin K-dependent proteins and their receptors in human pathology. The processes of coagulation and immune response are intimately intertwined. Today we consider the mechanisms of coagulation, and more generally of hemostasis, as an integral part of the body's response to injury and are part of the activation cascades that lead to inflammation and thrombosis. Therefore, it is not surprising that genes for components of hemostasis have effects on the activation or regulation of inflammatory pathways. Vitamin K is essential for a post-translational modification known to occur in no more than twenty human proteins. Our research includes aspects from the molecular biology and genetics of these proteins such as the effects of the immune response, nutrition, and ageing.