Activating the Body's Blood Clot Dissolvers: Biotech's New Role

Blood clots are the major cause of disabling diseases and death in the U.S. and Europe. If a clot cuts off blood flow to the heart it results in a heart attack. If blood flow to part of the brain is eliminated, a stroke occurs. And if a clot lodges between the heart and the lungs, it results in a pulmonary embolism. Medical researchers have now isolated a group of biological compounds that destroys dangerous blood clots by harnessing the body's natural clot-dissolving system. High manufacturing costs and major production problems make it difficult for pharmaceutical companies to effectively market these substances, known as plasminogen activators. But a variety of biotechnological techniques may soon increase the supply and variety of available PAs. Commercialization of these techniques should result in an effective set of new blood treatment drugs that can be manufactured and marketed at a fraction of current costs.