Discovering novel biochemical interactions between the complement and coagulation systems

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Within the circulation, there exist two highly regulated systems that promote healing and prevent bleeding. One of these, the so-called coagulation system, is tightly controlled to achieve a critical balance between bleeding and clotting and to maintain the flow of blood. The other, the complement system, serves to rapidly and effectively dispose of invading infections and to prevent tissue and organ damage. Historically, the complex biochemical pathways featured in these two systems have been viewed as separate and non-intersecting. However, we and others groups of scientists now provide evidence to suggest that they do interact, which makes sense as both systems are initiated by the same triggers, under the same conditions. Moreover, many components (proteins) involved in coagulation and complement share a common evolutionary origin. It is likely, therefore, that these important biochemical pathways are co-ordinately controlled and highly interactive. Indeed, we have considerable data from our lab (published in the last 5 years with NSERC funding) that support such a hypothesis.