Researchers at McMaster University have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of hematology, providing an explanation for spontaneous and unusual blood-clotting that continues to occur despite treatment with full-dose blood thinners.
The discovery, published Feb. 12, 2025 in The New England Journal of Medicine, is expected to influence how doctors test for, and treat patients with, unusual or recurrent blood clotting, with the potential to improve patient outcomes.
Researchers found this new blood clotting disorder to have certain similarities to vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) – a rare but aggressive clotting disorder that was caused by certain discontinued COVID-19 vaccines.
The research reveals that certain patients can develop severe blood clotting due to antibodies that closely resemble those that cause VITT, even in the absence of known triggers for such antibodies, such as blood thinners (heparin) or prior vaccination.
The newly identified disorder has been termed VITT-like monoclonal gammopathy of thrombotic significance (MGTS).
Our study highlights the importance of recognizing and diagnosing this new blood-clotting disorder.”
Theodore (Ted) Warkentin, co-first author and corresponding author of the study and professor emeritus, Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine, McMaster University
“By understanding how to diagnose VITT-like MGTS, we can develop more effective treatment strategies that go beyond traditional anticoagulation,” said Warkentin, a hematologist in the Department of Medicine based at Hamilton Health Sciences’ Hamilton General Hospital.
Specialized testing was conducted at the McMaster Platelet Immunology Laboratory within the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Transfusion Research, the only