Donna Woulfe PhD

Dr. Woulfe's research interests focus primarily on the intracellular signaling mechanisms of platelet activation and how signaling in platelets contributes to thrombosis in vivo. Agonists that extend the formation of the platelet plug generally bind to G protein-coupled receptors on the platelet surface.

Dr. Woulfe's previous studies have focused on how platelets become activated by agonists that bind to G protein-coupled receptors and how platelet signaling stabilizes platelet aggregates as they grow. A key finding from these studies was that platelets from mice lacking certain isoforms of the serine/threonine kinase Akt (particularly Akt2) have defects in platelet secretion, fibrinogen binding, and stable aggregate formation.