Leo Nicolai
@immunothrombosis.bsky.social
480 followers 1.1K following 27 posts
Junior Research Group Leader @LMU Munich, interested in vascular biology with a focus on platelets and immunothrombosis
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immunothrombosis.bsky.social
Same here @dianvanderwaldr.bsky.social was a pleasure giving the State of the Art talk on platelet immune effector functions @isth.org #isth2025
Reposted by Leo Nicolai
dianvanderwaldr.bsky.social
#platelets keep surprise me @immunothrombosis.bsky.social as always great imaging

#isth2025 and very interesting par1 signalling in lymphatic endothelial bed SOA7
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
Online now: Yacine Boulaftali, Steffen Massberg and I summarized recent key insights into the role of platelets in vascular inflammation:
journals.lww.com/co-hematolog...
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
Thanks for the support @lmumuenchen.bsky.social hen.bsky.social @dzhk.de , Corona Foundation, and all the fantastic contributors, in particular Kami Pekayvaz and Konstantin Stark.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
Interfering with either cell type worsens thrombosis in mice. Happy to discuss these unexpected results. And I'm inviting the field to look into our data set for novel anti thrombotic targets and strategies!
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
Using in vitro assays and reverse translation into mice, we could show that alternative monocytes are indeed responsible for neutrophil recruitment. Neutrophils then adopt a hypoxia-induced thrombus-resolving urokinase receptor (PLAUR)+ phenotype.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
Suprisingly, we found thrombolytic signatures in neutrophils, and a significant amount of alternative monocytes expressing neutrophil attracting chemokines.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
A pleasure to work with you - looking forward to completing our ongoing cooperation projects !
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
14/x Thanks for the support LMU, DZHK, Corona Foundation, and all the fantastic contributors
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
13/x It is now key to understand the regulating mechanisms, as well as its implications for transfusion medicine – vulnerable populations might be negatively affected by platelet transfusions of prolonged storage time. Happy to discuss!
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
12/x We could also observe a proinflammatory effect of in vitro aged platelets in comparison to fresh platelets in a mouse model of thrombocytopenia and pulmonary inflammation. This suggests that platelets undergo gradual changes, with aged platelets showing a more inflammatory profile.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
11/x We then asked if this also applies to human platelet concentrates stored in vitro. Indeed, apheresis platelets also showed a decrease in hemostatic potential and an increase in procoagulant function and neutrophil aggregate formation.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
10/x Importantly, these mice showed increased pulmonary inflammation with elevated cytokines and an increased leukocyte recruitment, which could be reversed through platelet rejuvenation. This showcases that aged platelets can indeed exacerbate inflammation.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
9/x To investigate effects of this, we teamed up with @frederikdenorme.bsky.social and Robert Campbell, who subjected Bax/Bak deficient mice to acute lung injury. This mouse model is known to harbor platelets with increased life span due to an apoptotic defect.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
8/x As expected, young platelets showed upregulation of ribosomal proteins. The aged cohort showed upregulation of immune pathways, correlating well with our in vivo and in vitro results.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
7/x Using the PF4Cre-iDTR mouse, we created platelet cohorts of similar age using Diphtheria toxin application in this mouse line, and performed shotgun proteomics. This revealed clear separation of aged and young platelets with regards to proteome.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
6/x We then asked if this translates to in vivo differences. Indeed, in thrombosis, more young platelets were recruited, whereas in an assay of lung inflammation, there was higher relative recruitment of aged platelets.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
5/x ..and formed more platelet neutrophil aggregates upon co-incubation, which could be blocked by antibodies against CD40. These platelets were also better at killing S. Aureus bacteria in vitro.
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
4/x Interestingly, though, aged platelets (3-4 days old) showed increased expression of immune related receptors including CD40L and CLEC-2. They were more likely to become procoagulant,
immunothrombosis.bsky.social
3/x Here, using an antibody-based fate mapping approach, we were able to directly demonstrate that young platelets (0-12hrs old) are better at adhesion and clot formation in vitro. This fits well with translational data implicating young, reticulated platelets for example in myocardial infarction.