Deconvoluting gene activity and cell-of-origin of platelet DNA

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Platelets are small cells in the blood that are fundamental to haemostasis, blood vessel maintenance and play a role in immune responses. When cells die, they release the DNA from their nucleus into the blood, resulting in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in blood plasma. We recently demonstrated that although platelets do not contain a nucleus, they 'vacuum' cfDNA fragments from blood and protect them from degradation. They may play a key role in the clearance of cfDNA, and act as biosensors to relay information between different type of cells. The project will focus on studying the newly discovered DNA in platelets and investigate whether we can determine the cell type the DNA fragments are coming from. If platelet DNA is rich in such information, we will train a machine learning algorithm to predict gene activity and cell of origin from platelet DNA patterns. This would pave the way for a new method in routine health monitoring, applicable with a simple blood test.