Multimeric Analysis of von Willebrand Factor

Von Willebrand Factor (vWF) in normal plasma is composed of a series of high molecular multimers, ranging in size from 8×10(5) to over 15×10(6) Daltons (1). The multimeric structure of vWF was first investigated by two-dimensional crossed immunoelectrophoresis (2D-IEP). In 1974, Kernoff et al. (2) used this method, and since then multimer sizing of von Willebrand Factor Antigen (vWF∶Ag) in this form and other variations have been used in the diagnosis and classification of von Willebrand's disease (vWD).