Scientists Find Anti-Bleeding Blood Protein

Scientists have discovered a key blood protein that prevents bleeding in people being treated for cancer or blood disorders.

Such bleeding can be fatal, and doctors often reduce or delay chemotherapy, which suppresses the body’s manufacturing of blood cells critical to clotting, because of the threat.

Experts say the discovery may be the next major breakthrough in the biotechnology industry.

The protein prods the body into making platelets, microscopic disks in the blood that rush to the sites of injury and clump together to stop bleeding.

The finding of the protein is reported in today’s issue of the journal Nature by two independent research teams. One included scientists at Genentech Inc. of South San Francisco and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.; the other team was from ZymoGenetics Corp. of Seattle and the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.

The protein stimulates the creation of specialized blood cells that make platelets, and makes the cells mature. Scientists found animal versions of it and then identified the human gene for it, which revealed the chemical makeup of the human version. The Genentech-Mayo team reported using the gene to make the human protein.

Treatment with the new protein may let doctors give more effective doses of cancer medicines.