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8
| 2 | 2010
Klinisk Biokemi i Norden
Labmed 2010
News
Nr. 6
XXXII Nordic Congress in Medical Biochemistry
Facts of today - visions for tomorrow
Oslo, June 1-4 2010
General information
The planning of the scientific program, of the social activities, housing, invitation to
sponsors and exhibitors are on the track according to our time schedule.
Find updated information on
www.labmed2010.no
SYMPOSIUM “Micropar-
ticles – messengers and dis-
seminators”
Rienk Nieuwland, PhD –
“Cell-derived vesicles as
multi-purpose carriers”
Rienk Nieuwland, PhD, is the Head of the Laboratory
of Experimental Clinical Chemistry at the University
of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. He is one of the
pioneers in the field of microparticles with ~50 publi-
cations on the subject listed in PubMed.
Microparticles (MPs) are small (0.1-1 µM) mem-
brane vesicles released from cells upon activation
or apoptosis. The number of MPs, cellular origin,
composition and function may vary with disease
state. Tissue Factor (TF), the main initiator of blood
coagulation, is occasionally expressed on monocytes
and microparticles (MPs)
within
the vasculature. TF-
positive MPs are highly procoagulant and have been
linked to thrombosis in a variety of diseases, such as
cancer, acute coronary syndromes, endotoxemia, and
diabetes. In animal models, MP-bound TF has been
shown to be incorporated in thrombi and contribute
to thrombus propagation. There is now an intense
interest for clinical measurements of TF-positive
MPs, and functional and immunological assays have
been described. However, due to the small size and
the heterogeneity of composition of TF-bearing MPs,
there are challenges to overcome with both methods.
MPs are best known for their ability to support
coagulation, but may also act as vectors for bioactive
molecules and disseminate biological information.
Those small vesicles are viewed as emerging biomar-
kers for pathological processes and pharmacological
modification of MP formation is proposed to have
future therapeutic applications.
Rienk Nieuwland will in his talk ”Cell-derived
vesicles as multi-purpose carriers” give us an intro-
duction to the field of MPs, where he will discuss
the multiple roles of cellular microvesicles in health
and disease. Flow cytometry analysis of MPs is the
favoured method to characterize MPs, and in this
session PhD-student HC Dalsbotten Aass will discuss
technical aspects and challenges associated with this
method. Working with platelet-derived micropartic-
les (PDMPs) and flow cytometry, associate professor
Jovan Antovic will present data that the use of MESF
values (Molecules of Equivalent Soluble Fluoro
chrome) to quantify PDMP expression of P-selectin
and TF yields reproducible data and enables compa-
rison of data between laboratories. Finally, Post Doc.
Reidun Øvstebø will show that
Neisseria meningitidis
membrane-bound Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but not
other bacterial components, induce monocyte- and
MP-associated TF expression and activity that is inhi-
bited by IL-10.
