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Platelets (thrombocytes) have emerged as one of the seminal components in haematology, cardiology and vascular research. Platelets are unlike cells because they are non-nucleate, they differ from other non-nucleate entities by virtue of fast secretion and self-adhesion. Classical methods like aggregometry, bleeding time/clotting time, clot retraction were useful in preliminary medical diagnosis to screen bleeding disorders. The meaningful discovery of drug targets needs incorporation of cutting-edge techniques to study platelets. This book starts from the basics of platelet isolation, enumeration, microscopy, cytometry and goes to describe transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to dissect platelet function in easy step-by-step discourse. Beginners in graduate studies will find this protocol book a must-have to gain technical knowledge about major techniques in contemporary platelet research in vitro. The protocols described here are adapted from published works of research groups that have proven expertise in the relevant technique.

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Syeda Tasneem Towhid obtained Dr. rer. nat. from Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany in 2012. Her doctoral research focused on the mechanisms of death in human platelets. She authored several original articles on the apoptosis-like changes in platelets. She is currently doing her post-doctoral research in University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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