Using microfluidics to understand the effect of spatial distribution of tissue factor on blood coagulation

Initiation of blood coagulation by tissue factor (TF) is a robust, highly regulated process. Both the spatial distribution of TF and the geometry of the vasculature may play important roles in regulating coagulation. As this review describes, microfluidic systems provide a unique opportunity for investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of blood coagulation in vitro. Microfluidic systems with surfaces of phospholipid bilayers patterned with TF have been used to demonstrate experimentally the threshold responses of initiation of coagulation to the size and shape of surfaces presenting TF. These systems have also been used to demonstrate experimentally that propagation of coagulation is regulated by the shear rate of blood flow in microcapillaries and microchannels. By understanding these and other aspects of the spatial dynamics that regulate blood coagulation, many new methods for treating clotting disorders, such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) and sepsis, could arise.