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Contact information


michael.desborough@ndcls.ox.ac.uk

Michael Desborough

BMedSci(Hons), MBChB, MRCP, FRCPath, DPhil

Consultant Haematologist & Honorary Senior Lecturer

The main focus of my research is assessing whether desmopressin could be used for treatment of thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction.  

Platelets are a key part of clot formation. Patients with too few platelets, or platelets which are dysfunctional, are vulnerable to bleeding. One way to treat these patients is by transfusing platelets from a blood donor but this approach is often not effective. I am aiming to determine if desmopressin (a drug which increases platelet adhesion by stimulating release of Von Willebrand Factor) could be an effective adjuvant, or alternative treatment.  

I am using a combination of methods to assess the value of desmopressin in this setting including meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials; laboratory assessment of thrombus formation under flow; and observational trials. I am leading two randomised placebo-controlled feasibility trials: desmopressin for prevention of bleeding in thrombocytopenia (DRIVE) and desmopressin for treatment of stroke due to haemorrhage (DASH).

Key publications

Recent publications

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ORCID

0000-0002-1951-5616