2026 Sol Sherry Distinguished Lecture in Thrombosis – John W. Weisel, PhD

John W. Weisel, PhD

University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

John Weisel, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He received a bachelor of science degree from Swarthmore College and a doctorate in biophysics from Brandeis University.

Weisel began his work in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis as a postdoctoral fellow, conducting X-ray and electron crystallography studies. His research spans a broad range of topics in hemostasis and thrombosis, with a primary focus on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of fibrin polymerization, fibrinolysis, platelet aggregation and clot contraction, as well as their clinical implications in bleeding, thrombosis and embolization. He has characterized the intermolecular interactions responsible for fibrin polymerization and elucidated fundamental mechanisms of fibrinolysis. His studies of the binding interactions involved in platelet aggregation at the single-molecule level have helped identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying clot contraction.

Weisel has characterized the structures of thrombi from patients using scanning electron microscopy and discovered a new morphological form of red blood cells known as polyhedrocytes. His laboratory continues to investigate the mechanisms of clot rupture to better understand embolization.

This research has employed and helped develop a range of innovative structural and biophysical techniques, including novel forms of light and electron microscopy, single-molecule force spectroscopy using optical traps and atomic force microscopy, and methods for measuring the mechanical properties of cellular and extracellular structures.

Many of the methods developed or adapted in his laboratory have been introduced and taught to other scientists working in the emerging field of the biomechanics of thrombosis and hemostasis. The results of these studies have advanced understanding of fundamental protein-protein and protein-cell interactions while also providing important insights into clinical aspects of hemostasis and thrombosis.