Margaret L. Rand
Professor
BSc, University of Toronto, 1977
PhD, University of Toronto, 1982
Postdoc, Universiteit Maastricht, 1983-1985
Postdoc, McMaster University, 1985-1986
| Address | Division of Haematology/Oncology Hospital for Sick Children 555 University Avenue Toronto, ON M5G 1X8 |
| Lab | Rand Lab; Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Lab |
| Lab Phone | 416-813-7654, ext. 309249 |
| Office Phone | 416-813-7764 |
| margaret.rand@sickkids.ca |
Dr. Margaret Rand obtained her PhD in Biochemistry on the topic of platelet senescence at the University of Toronto, and completed her research training in platelets and arterial thrombosis during Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the Universiteit Maastricht in the Netherlands and at McMaster University. She is currently a Professor in the Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, of Biochemistry, and of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. At the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where she co-directs the Clinical Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Laboratory, Dr. Rand is a Senior Associate Scientist in the Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program of the Division of Haematology/Oncology and in the Physiology and Experimental Medicine Program of the Research Institute.
Dr. Rand’s career-long research interest has been in blood platelet function and dysfunction, with a translation research focus on standardized pediatric bleeding questionnaires. She presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society for Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. She is Co-Chair of the Rare Inherited Bleeding Disorders Subcommittee of the Association of Hemophilia Clinic Directors of Canada, a member of the Hemostasis Committee of the Canadian Pediatric Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network, and a member of the Joint Bleeding Score Working Group of the ISTH and the Local Organizing Committee for ISTH 2015.
Research Lab
Research Description
Platelet function and dysfunction
Platelets play important roles in the formation of hemostatic plugs, which stop bleeding from injured blood vessels, and arterial thrombi, which are responsible for the clinical complications of atherosclerosis. My colleagues and I are interested in the biochemical mechanisms involved in platelet function and dysfunction. In one area of research, we are investigating hereditary and acquired disorders of platelet function and dysfunction. Another line of research involves studies of the reduced functions of stored platelets that are transfused into patients with low numbers of circulating platelets. Finally, we are examining effectors of platelet function in vivo, including those that may be involved in the clearance of platelets from the circulation.
Future Research Interests
We will be investigating polymorphisms in platelet membrane glycoproteins that can lead to an increased risk of bleeding complications, or of arterial thrombosis.
Courses Taught
Publications
Phosphatidylserine exposure, microparticle formation and mitochondrial depolarisation in Glanzmann thrombasthenia platelets.
Wang H, Bang KW, Blanchette VS, Nurden AT, Rand ML.
Thromb Haemost. 2014 Jun;111(6):1184-6 Read
Diannexin, an annexin A5 homodimer, binds phosphatidylserine with high affinity and is a potent inhibitor of platelet-mediated events during thrombus formation.
Rand ML, Wang H, Pluthero FG, Stafford AR, Ni R, Vaezzadeh N, Allison AC, Kahr WH, Weitz JI, Gross PL.
J Thromb Haemost. 2012 Jun;10(6):1109-19. Read
Historical perspective on ADP-induced platelet activation.
Packham MA, Rand ML.
Purinergic Signal. 2011 Sep;7(3):283-92. Read