12 The average human body has in the order of 10 circulating platelets.
They are crucial for hemostasis, and yet excessive platelet activation
is a major cause of m- bidity and mortality in western societies. It is
therefore not surprising that platelets have become one of the most
extensively investigated biological cell types. We are, however, far
from understanding precisely how platelets become activated under
physiological and pathophysiological conditions. In addition, there are
large gaps in our knowledge of platelet production from their giant
precursor cell, the megakar- cyte. Understanding megakaryocyte biology
will be crucial for the development of platelet gene targeting. The aim
of Platelets and Megakaryocytes is therefore to bring together
established and recently developed techniques to provide a comprehensive
guide to the study of both the platelet and the megakaryocyte. It
consists of five s- tions split between two volumes. The more functional
assays appear in Volume 1, whereas Volume 2 includes signaling
techniques, postgenomic methods, and a n- ber of key perspectives
chapters. Part I of Volume 1, Platelets and Megakaryocytes: Functional
Assays, describes many well established approaches to the study of
platelet function, including aggregometry, secretion, arachidonic acid
metabolism, procoagulant responses, pla- let adhesion under static or
flow conditions, flow cytometry, and production of microparticles.
Although one would ideally wish to perform experiments with human
platelets, studies within the circulation using intravital microscopy
require the use of animal models, which are described in Chapter 16,
vol. 1.
