Covid: causes of rare blood clots in stroke AstraZeneca, discovered by scientists
Scientists believe they have seen the "trigger" that causes the extremely rare blood clot after the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine. In Cardiff and the US, the team demonstrated in great detail how proteins in the blood are attracted to critical components of the vaccine. They believe this sets off a chain reaction of the immune system that can lead to dangerous clots.
It is estimated that the vaccine saved about a million lives from Covid. However, concerns about rare blood clots dictate how vaccines are used worldwide, including alternatives offered to people under 40 in the UK.
He also begins a scientific detective hunt to find out what happened and could have been prevented. The Cardiff team desperately needs government funding to find answers. After the team's previous results were published, AstraZeneca researchers themselves also joined the research project.
An AstraZeneca spokesman stressed that the freeze was more likely due to a Covid infection than a vaccine and that a full explanation had not yet been found. "While this study is inconclusive, it offers interesting insights, and AstraZeneca is investigating ways to use these results as part of our efforts to eliminate this infrequent side effect," he added.
Blood clot formation diagram
There is two preliminary pieces of evidence that researchers are looking at rare blood clots: All vaccines used in the UK seek to carry fragments of the Covid virus' genetic code into the body to train the immunity. A packet encodes in fat granules, while AstraZeneca uses adenoviruses (mainly chimpanzee viruses) as microscopic mail carriers.
Researchers believe the adenovirus may be linked to the rare clotting in some people. So they are used a technique called cryo-electron microscopy to create detailed images of the adenovirus at the molecular level.
He added: "We were able to demonstrate an association between the main smoking gun of the adenovirus and platelet factor four. "What we have are the triggers, but there are a lot of steps to take next."