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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

The Nijmegen Hemostasis Assay: Simultaneous Fluorogenic Measurement of Thrombin and Plasmin Generation in a Single Well
Published on: February 27, 2026
The effect of red blood cells on thrombin generation
McDonald K Horne1, Ann M Cullinane, Paula K Merryman
1Hematology Service, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. mhorne@mail.cc.nih.gov
Abstract:
We have developed an assay of thrombin generation in clotting whole blood. Because our goal was to study patients with red blood cell diseases that are associated with thrombosis, the initial evaluation of this assay analysed the effect of the haematocrit and haemolysate on the total amount of thrombin activity generated and the maximal concentration of thrombin achieved. Both of these parameters were proportional to the haematocrit throughout a wide range of clinically relevant cell concentrations. Red cell lysate also augmented thrombin generation. Because this effect was removed by filtration of the lysate, we propose that it was related to red cell microparticles.
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