Patent ID: 7645739

Claim:
A method of increasing the duration of survival of blood platelets, comprising: adding an isolated annexin dimer to stored platelets, wherein the isolated annexin dimer is at least 95% identical to a protein selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 6, SEQ ID NO: 26, SEQ ID NO: 27, SEQ ID NO: 19, SEQ ID NO: 23, SEQ ID NO:3-linker-SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:12-linker-SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:15-linker-SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO: 3-linker-SEQ ID NO: 12, SEQ ID NO: 3-linker-SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 12-linker-SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 12-linker-SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 15-linker-SEQ ID NO: 3, and SEQ ID NO: 15-linker-SEQ ID NO: 12, wherein the linker is at least one glycine-serine sequence, and whereby the duration of survival of blood platelets is increased compared to stored platelets in the absence of the isolated annexin dimer.