EUROPEAN CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION ON ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSES - EUROMAT 2021

Blood clots are an active material in which anucleate cells, called platelets, can extend micrometer-long filopodia to impose contractile forces on the fibrin scaffold that lead to drastic macroscopic changes in the clot volume. Blood clots are involved in physiologic and pathologic processes such as wound healing and thrombosis diseases. Blood clots composition and properties depend on their location within blood circulation. Furthermore, clot properties are affected by the presence of red blood cells (RBCs) entrapped by contracting clots. Using experiments and computer simulations we explore the properties of fibrin-platelet clots and the physical mechanisms underlying the function of this active natural material. We show that platelets leverage time to enhance their contractile forces and the ability to reduce the clot volume. We probe how the platelet activity affects clot internal structure and alter mechanical properties. Our results provide important guidelines for developing active biomaterials utilizing natural and synthetic platelets.