Platelet Adhesion Assays Performed Under Static Conditions

The ability of platelets to recognize and adhere to sites of vascular damage in vivo is critical to their function in the cessation of bleeding. Upon damage to the vasculature, denudation of endothelial cells results in the exposure of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, the most thrombogenic and abundant of which is collagen. Adhesion to the exposed sub-endothelial ECM proteins is the first step in the formation of a hemostatic plug and involves the interplay of several cell-surface platelet receptors, the most important of which are probably the collagen-binding receptors.