Platelets are critical in hemostasis and a major contributor to arterial thrombosis (AT). (Pre)clinical studies suggest platelets also contribute to venous thrombosis (VT), but the mechanisms are largely unknown. Jean Marie Mwiza, a graduate student in the Pathology department jointly supervised by Drs. Alisa Wolberg and Wolfgang Bergmeier, recently spear-headed an international team of investigators including UNC Blood Research Center members Robert Lee, David Paul, Lori Holle, Brian Cooley, Wyatt Schug, Tomohiro Kawano, and Nigel Mackman for a first systematic study on the molecular mechanisms by which platelets contribute to VT. The findings, published in the journal Blood, demonstrate that both G protein-coupled and immune-type receptors expressed on the platelet surface play an important role during the early stages of VT. The authors hope that their findings will open the door for the development and use of platelet-targeted therapeutics in the management of VT.