Red blood cells, long thought to be passive bystanders in the formation of blood clots, actually play an active role in helping clots contract, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Read about the study, co-authored by Rustem Litvinov, senior researcher in the Weisel Lab, and Prashant Purohit here.

Additional co-authors include Ekaterina K. Rednikova, Rafael R. Khismatullin and Vladimir R. Muzykantov of PSOM, and Oleg V. Kim of PSOM and Virginia Tech.