Paris Margaritis DPhil

Dr. Margaritis's is a Director of Translational Programs at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Margaritis's research pivots on a unique model he and his team developed, whereby they can enhance the extrinsic pathway of coagulation by raising the circulating levels of activated FVII (FVIIa) in animal models. Such an approach has obvious ramifications as a potential treatment for coagulation disorders that are currently treated with recombinant FVIIa.

Dr. Margaritis showed that expression of FVIIa via gene transfer results in dramatic phenotypic improvements or complete correction. In addition, he and his lab team developed mouse- and canine-specific reagents, assays, and endpoints that allow for monitoring the in vivo effects in hemostasis resulting from the action of FVIIa. A current line of investigation aims to better define the intricacies of viral transduction-based FVIIa gene expression and its hemostatic effects in animal models of hemophilia.

Dr. Margaritis's on going work is a new line of investigation that focuses on the molecular interactions between FVIIa and its binding partners and how these relate to the hemostatic and other role(s) of FVIIa in vivo. To address these functions he has developed unique in vitro and in vivo methodologies to define, quantitate, and even visualize FVIIa-participating reactions as they occur in real time. Exploiting this information may also form the basis for the rational design FVIIa-based therapeutics, either protein or gene-based, that can be used for the treatment of coagulation defects.