![]() vWF protects factor VIII from being broken down 3,4but every 15-19 hours, half of it gets cleared from the blood, taking the factor along with it. ![]() That’s because factor VIII usually travels with a companion protein called von Willebrand factor (vWF). Breaking the 19-hour limitīut there’s a limit: clotting factor VIII can only circulate in the blood for between 15 and 19 hours. To protect the replacement factors from being metabolized too quickly, scientists designed them to “hitch a ride” on proteins that are recycled more slowly. This is possible thanks to earlier innovations in protein engineering. These replacement factors circulate in the blood until they’re either metabolized or activated to help stop bleeding.īut factor proteins are cleared from the body so quickly that many people with hemophilia A need to inject replacement factor several times a week.Įxtended half-life factor replacement therapies keep factor VIII or IX proteins circulating longer. 1,2 To solve this problem, many people are treated with replacement factors, given by intravenous (IV) injection. ![]() Without enough factor VIII or IX, the body can’t produce enough thrombin to activate clotting. Factor replacement therapies: protein engineering at work
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