Scientists believe they may have found the "trigger" behind the extremely rare blood clot complications stemming from the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to an international team of researchers from Cardiff and the US, the reaction can be traced to the way the adenovirus used by the vaccine to shuttle the coronavirus' genetic material into cells binds with a specific protein in the blood, known as platelet factor 4 (PF4).
Researchers think this may spark a chain reaction in the immune system which can culminate in the development of blood clots.
This is a condition known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Professor Alan Parker, from Cardiff University's School of Medicine, said: "VITT only happens in