The Platelet Society has been formed through the coming together of the UK Platelet Group and the Platelet Charity.

A brief history of each organisation can be found below:

UK Platelet Group

The UK Platelet Group was an informal alliance of scientific research groups in the UK who shared a focus on platelet-related diseases. The first meeting of the UK Platelet Group was held in Oxford in 1998 and attracted over 70 people. Since then, the meetings have grown in size with ever increasing numbers from the UK and overseas. The meetings were held annually across the UK until 2012 when it moved to a two year cycle.  The main feature of the UK Platelet meetings is a strong focus on supporting early career researchers, including students, by providing them with the opportunity to present their research. The meetings are made possible through the generous support have by industrial sponsors, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the British Society for Haemostasis and Thrombosis (BSHT).

In 2001 the meeting portfolio was expanded to establish UK Platelet Summer School. The aim of these meetings were to provide an educational forum for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows who are new to the field of platelet research. Expert researchers deliver a series of lectures, workshops and small group discussions that provide and overview of all aspects of platelet research, from basic sciences through to clinical research. The meetings are held every 3 years with generous support from BHF, BSHT and industrial sponsors.. The first four were organised by Prof Steve Watson (University of Birmingham) but are now led by Prof Jon Gibbins (University of Reading).

The summer schools are a fantastic way to train the next generation of platelet researchers and emphasise the UK Platelet Group’s commitment to supporting early career researchers.

UK Platelet Charity (Registered Charity : 1151168)

The remit of the Platelet Charity (original name Funny Blood) was to increase awareness of platelet related diseases (and not just bleeding). It did this by running a web-site and other social media channels, producing fact sheets, funding small pump-priming grants and organising fund-raising events in the Wiltshire/Hampshire/Worcestershire area. The Charity was in existence between 2013-2017. The charity reformed as The Platelet Society in 2017 following the merger with the UK Platelet Group. This brings together everyone from patients to clinicians to scientists, to fully support all research and education in platelet-related diseases.