Associate ProfessorFreda Passam

Associate Professor Freda Passam leads a comprehensive bench-to-bedside Haematology and Thrombosis program. The program has two major research directions:

The 1st research stream studies platelets in diabetes for the identification of platelet biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. Patients with diabetes have hyperactive platelets contributing to their higher risk of cardiovascular events compared with patients without diabetes. This research initiative engages clinicians, scientists, biostatisticians, and consumers, with the common goal of identifying platelet targets for monitoring and reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes.

The 2nd research stream studies immune thrombosis in heparin induced thrombosis thrombocytopenia (HIT). Thrombotic complications in HIT are challenging to diagnose and treat. This research includes national and international collaborators from Haematology, Chemistry, and Bioengineering, focused on the development of new diagnostic tools based on Microfluidic technology, and novel peptide therapies. The group has developed a novel endothelialized microfluidic device, the Endo-chip, for the measurement of endothelial thromboinflammation using patient samples and screening for novel therapeutics.