A research group at Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with American and European scientists, has discovered that an inorganic polymer, polyphosphate, plays a key role in both inflammation and the formation of blood clots. Experiments on mice and with patient plasma have shown that polyphosphate is released by blood platelets and activates Factor XII, a protein that scientists have previously shown to contribute to coagulation. Polyphosphate also activates inflammatory substances that contribute to leakage from the blood vessel, which is a characteristic feature of inflammation. Report