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Abstract
In the event of vascular injury, careful orchestration of blood platelet recruitment and coagulation protein activation functions to stop blood loss. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that mediate hemostasis is essential to understanding the dysfunction of this process under pathological conditions. This dissertation centers on characterizing the role of the coagulation enzyme thrombin in hemostasis, utilizing biophysical techniques to reveal unique interactions of thrombin with platelets and thrombi.