{"id":6867,"date":"2018-03-22T15:47:35","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T19:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/biology\/?post_type=profile&p=6867"},"modified":"2026-04-29T16:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T20:02:42","slug":"katya-ravid","status":"publish","type":"profile","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/biology\/people\/profiles\/katya-ravid\/","title":{"rendered":"Katya Ravid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lab Website<\/a><\/p>\n

Current Research<\/h3>\n

Circulating platelets play key roles in thrombosis and hemostasis, which are central to vascular disease, and recently, activated platelets have been also identified as magnifying certain cancers through release of mitogenic factors. Hence, understanding processes controlling the development and activation of these cells is fundamental to cell biology, as well as has potential translational implications.<\/p>\n

In the platelet lineage, the early committed cells, the megakaryocytes, undergo a unique cell cycle, leading to polyploidy prior to fragmentation into platelets. Our research has focused on identifying mechanisms that regulate the specification of bone marrow stem cells to this lineage, and the subsequent steps of cellular maturation, polyploidy and platelet biogenesis. These processes have been studied in the context of normal development, as well as during megakaryocyte-induced myeloproliferative disease, a condition that often leads to leukemia.<\/p>\n

A related project involves the molecular characterization of platelet- and vascular-specific adenosine and purine receptors, and exploration of their role in signaling towards cell activation. Also relevant to mechanism of platelet activation, we have recently investigated the influence of specific metabolic nutrients, such as tryptophan metabolites, on platelet activation, with intriguingly new pathway identified. The systems used in our studies include primary bone marrow cultures, as well as transgenic and knock out mouse models.<\/p>\n

Selected Publications<\/h3>\n