Blood clots – the role of Vitamin K
Although blood clotting is essential for wound healing, inappropriate clotting can be fatal in patients with heart problems. The current best treatment for patients at risk from blood clots is warfarin, a drug which thins the blood by targeting vitamin K. Until now no one has been able to say why warfarin works, but researchers from the MRC’s Clinical Sciences Centre have identified the gene that controls the production of the protein responsible for the action of Vitamin K, which is necessary for the formation of a clot. Further work may lead to more effective blood-thinning treatments.
Nature 2002; 419: 23-24