As vice dean for Professional Studies in the Health Sciences, Dr. Soslau has multiple roles that include administrative, teaching and research activities. The Office of Professional Studies in the Health Sciences offers 23 different programs to approximately 700 students. The goal of the office is to offer rigorous, state-of-the-art programs that will help its students improve their credentials for application to medical, other health professional schools, or employment. Some of the programs have been in existence since 1981. The premed programs have placed well over 1,000 students in medical schools throughout the United States. Other programs have been assisting students to gain entry into numerous other health-related fields including veterinary medicine, pathologists' assistants, histotechnology, forensics and the pharmaceutical industry.
Dr. Soslau's research in the laboratory has focused primarily on varying aspects of human platelet biochemistry. The anucleated platelet, derived from the normal fragmentation of the megakaryocyte cytoplasm, along with the coagulation cascade plays a central role in hemostasis. Several different physiological agonists induce platelets to aggregate forming a protective clot with the coagulation-induced fibrin at sites of vascular injury. Selected platelet agonists (thrombin) and surface receptors have long been pharmacologic targets for regulating platelet activation and reducing abnormal hemostatic events, thrombosis. We have shown that there are three distinct thrombin receptors on human platelets that could be activated by different physiological forms of thrombin. These different forms of thrombin respond differentially to many clinically employed antithrombotic drugs that had been presumed to inhibit all levels of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Understanding how each form of thrombin and their respective thrombin receptors work in the activation of platelets is crucial to fine tuning the clinical regulation of hemostasis and thrombosis. Studies are also being conducted with human, sea turtle and avian blood to define similarities and differences of platelet/coagulation components involved in hemostasis. Where possible, components are analyzed for structure/function and if major similarities or differences are detected genes will be cloned/sequenced. Ultimately we are interested in evolutionary correlations of sequence/structure/function that may give insights into how mutations in selected human hemostatastic components lead to genetic diseases.
Selected Publications
"Cytokine mediated proliferation of cultured sea turtle blood cells; morphologic and functional comparison to human blood cells"
Morgan DA, Class R, Violetta G, Soslau G
Tissue and Cell. 41, Issue 4, 299-309 (2009).
"Effect of low dose melagatran and other antithrombotic drugs on platelet aggregation"
Soslau G, Ando A, Floyd L, Hong T, Mathew L, Yen Y
J Thromb. Thrombolysis. 25, 198-203 (2008).
"Comparison of Sea turtle thrombocyte aggregation to human platelet aggregation in whole blood"
Soslau G, Prest PJ, Class R, George R, Paladino F, Violetta G
Comp. Biochem. Physiol (Part B), 142, 353-360 (2005).
"The GPIb-Thrombin Pathway: Evidence for a Novel Role of Fibrin in Platelet Aggregation"
Soslau G, Favero M
J Thrombosis Haemostasis 2, 522-524 (2004).
"Differential Activation and Inhibition of Human Platelet Thrombin Receptors by Structurally Distinct alpha-, beta-, & gamma-Thrombin"
Soslau G, Goldenberg SJ, Class R, Jameson B
Platelets 15, 155-166 (2004).
"Comparison of Functional Aspects of the Coagulation Cascade in Human and Sea Turtle Plasmas"
Soslau G, Wallace B, Vincente C, Goldenberg SJ, Tupis T, Spotila J, George R, Paldino F, Whitaker B, Violetta G, Piedra R
Comp. Biochem. Physical. (Part B), 138, 399-406 (2004).
"Cytokine Mediated Proliferation of Sea Turtle Peripheral Blood Cells in Suspension Cultures"
Morgan DA, Class R, Soslau G
In: Proceeding of the 21st Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. Coyne, MS, Clark Rd (compilers), NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SESFC- 503, 307-308, (2002).
"Unique Pathway of Thrombin-induced Platelet Aggregation Mediated by Glycoprotein Ib"
Soslau G, Morgan DA, Class R, Foster C, Lord ST, Marchese P, Ruggeri ZM
J. Biol. Chem., 276, 21173-21183 (2001) .
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