Summary
Empa researcher Peter Nirmalraj and his team are investigating micrometer-sized blood clots to improve their early detection. The project analyzes the composition, shape, and size of these tiny blood clumps in patients with stroke, COVID complications, and vascular dementia. Together with the University of Zurich, the researchers use imaging and measurement methods to test how different clots respond to various treatments. The results will be made available on an open-source platform to enable earlier detection of complications and more precise prediction of stroke risks in the future. The project is funded by several foundations.
People
- Peter Nirmalraj (Empa researcher, lead)
- Susanne Wegener (University of Zurich, collaboration)
Topics
- Blood clots and thrombosis
- Stroke prevention
- Long-COVID consequences
- Medical diagnostics
- Vascular dementia
Clarus Lead
The research addresses a clinical knowledge problem: micro-blood clots often remain undetected until serious complications occur. With Long-COVID as a new risk factor – affecting up to 30% of recovered patients – precise characterization of these clots becomes increasingly important for prevention and therapy planning. The planned open-source platform promises to democratize diagnostic standards and thereby increase the predictability of individual stroke risks.
Detailed Summary
The research team focuses on characterizing blood clots according to physical parameters: composition, shape, and size. These distinctions are clinically relevant because different clot types respond differently to treatment methods – a finding that enables personalized therapy approaches.
Long-COVID is identified as a catalyst for increased thrombosis tendency, complementing known risk factors such as diabetes and obesity. The mechanisms by which micro-clots in Long-COVID patients influence cardiovascular and neurological risks are still incompletely understood – a research gap that the project addresses. In addition to stroke secondary prevention, the researchers also investigate vascular dementia, a form of dementia triggered by cerebral microinfarcts.
Funding from multiple foundations (Peter Bockhoff Foundation, Theodor Naegeli Foundation, Immanuel and Ilse Straub Foundation, and others) signals priority within the Swiss health research ecosystem.
Key Statements
- Micro-blood clots are often detected too late; precise characterization by size, shape, and composition enables better risk stratification
- Long-COVID increases thrombosis risk in up to 30% of recovered patients; the exact mechanisms in micro-clots remain unclear
- Open-source platform is intended to democratize diagnostic insights and enable more precise stroke risk predictions
Critical Questions
Evidence Quality: What data basis (patient numbers, follow-up duration) do the current findings on micro-clots in Long-COVID rest upon, and how representative are these for the overall population?
Validation: How will the models provided on the open-source platform be externally validated to exclude error rates in clinical application?
Causality: It remains unclear whether micro-clots in Long-COVID are a cause or consequence of cardiovascular complications – how will the project make this distinction?
Implementation: What barriers exist for the adoption of new measurement methods in routine clinics, and how will cost-effectiveness be evaluated against existing diagnostic procedures?
Conflicts of Interest: How will it be ensured that foundation funding does not influence the independence of research results?
Side Effects: Could aggressive anticoagulation therapies initiated based on this new diagnostics themselves lead to bleeding risks?
Source Directory
Primary Source: Early Detection of Micro-Blood Clots – news.admin.ch (31.03.2026) https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/Sow6NDrQzpi4iOTc2wAr2
Contact: Dr. Peter Nirmalraj, Transport at Nanoscale Interfaces Laboratory, Empa Tel. +41 58 765 43 35 [email protected]
Verification Status: ✓ 31.03.2026
This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 31.03.2026