Contact information
michael.desborough@linacre.ox.ac.uk
michael.desborough@ouh.nhs.uk
Department of Clinical Haematology, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU
He/Him
Colleges
Michael Desborough
BMedSci(Hons), MB ChB, FRCP, FRCPath, DPhil
Consultant Haematologist & Associate Professor of Haematology
The main focus of my research is assessing whether desmopressin could be used for treatment of thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction.
Platelets are a key part of clot formation. Patients with too few platelets, or platelets which are dysfunctional, are vulnerable to bleeding. One way to treat these patients is by transfusing platelets from a blood donor but this approach is often not effective. I am aiming to determine if desmopressin (a drug which increases platelet adhesion by stimulating release of Von Willebrand Factor) could be an effective adjuvant, or alternative treatment.
I am using a combination of methods to assess the value of desmopressin in this setting including meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials; laboratory assessment of thrombus formation under flow; and observational trials. I am leading two randomised placebo-controlled feasibility trials: desmopressin for prevention of bleeding in thrombocytopenia (DRIVE) and desmopressin for treatment of stroke due to haemorrhage (DASH).