Statement from the Platelet Society on the Covid vaccine
Last week saw the Platelet Society run its highly successful virtual meeting hosted by Keele University
The meeting was well attended by researchers from the UK, Europe and the Rest of the World (A benefit of online meetings!) for 3 days of talks, discussions and poster sessions, covering the breadth of platelet research.
Due to the generous sponsorship of Cairn, Lab Medics, The Platelet Society and NC3Rs, were were able to award prizes for the best talks, posters and innovation in 3Rs for platelet research. The competition was tough as all talks and posters were of a high standard, but thanks to the hard work of the judges were were able to select the following people for prizes.
Congratulations to all the prize winners
Best Talk – ECR Meeting
Best Talk – Main Meeting
Best Posters
NC3Rs innovation
We have reached the end of the meeting. We very much hope that you have enjoyed the talks, posters and discussion sessions.
Thank you to everyone who has taken part and contributed to the wonderful sessions.
Until we meet again for our next, hopefully in person meeting, thank you and goodbye.
We round off the meeting with our Gus Born lectures. Named in memory of Professor Gus Born, a pioneer in the field of platelet biology, this year we hear from three young platelet biologists who have recently been awarded fellowships for their work. Head over to the ReAttendance app to hear the lectures.
Our 3rd oral communications session begins shortly and is available in the ReAttendance app. four talks selected from abstracts and a plenary talk from Anirban Sen Gupta.
Welcome to the second day of the Platelet Society meeting. We start with a session on mentoring within the Society and how to get involved.
The final session of the day is our poster and online social. Head over to Gathertown to join in. The password for the session is Platelet2021
The second oral communications session of the main meeting will begin shortly. Head over to ReAttendance for a plenary talk from Dr Kellie Machlus and 4 talks selected from abstracts.
Next up we have our society networking session. Join your discussion group to meet other members and discuss topics of interest. Avialable through the ReAttendance app.
Welcome to the 2021 Platelet Society meeting.
We are just about to start the meeting with a public plenary lecture from Dr Nicola Mutch and our first oral communication session.
Head over to the ReAttendance app to listen to the talks
The Platelet Society is delighted to announce the return of the Platelet Summer school in 2021. Hosted by the University of Reading, this will introduce new researchers to all aspects of platelet biology with sessions taught by leaders in the field from across Europe.
1st – 3rd September 2021
Our final session today is the interactive networking session. Head over to Gathertown to join in. The link for this was provided in the delegate email sent previously and the password is Platelet2021
Our career workshop is about to start. First up on the main stage is a CV masterclass!
Find your way into one of the focused Career Panels in the networking rooms where you can ask our experts your burning career questions.
And don’t worry you can switch between panels as they run!
Welcome to the Platelet Society Early Career Researcher (ECR) Blog!
Since we formed at the end of 2020 the ECR working group has been looking for a variety of ways to involve and support you, ECR members of the Platelet Society. In our new blog, we aim to upload a regular post on a range of topics, from academic development to work-life balance, which we hope you will find helpful and interesting.
If you have any suggestions of topics you would like to see here, (or if you would like to contribute with an article!), please drop an email to Amie (aw701@medschl.cam.ac.uk), Harriet (h.e.allan@qmul.ac.uk) or Joana (j.campos@bham.ac.uk); we would be very happy to receive your suggestions!
We will let you know when a new post is available (keep an eye on the newsletter and our Twitter and Instagram pages), and we hope you enjoy reading it
Your ECR Working Group
Next up on the main stage are five more presentations from our highly rated ECR abstracts.
We are delighted to announce that the full programme has been anounced for our Platelet Society meeting at the end of March.
Organisers Alan Harper and collegues have put together a fantastic list of speakers covering a wide range of platelet and megakaryocyte biology. With a mix of scientific and clinical topics, there is sure to be something for everyone at the meeting, and even though we are not meeting in person, it is an amazing opportunity to catch up with collegues and friends in the platelet field. The full programme can be seen at https://plateletsociety.co.uk/keele-2021/#speakers
Registration is open now via our registration form – https://plateletsociety.co.uk/keele-meeting-registration/
First up on the main stage are three presentations selected from our ECR abstracts.
Welcome to the Early Career Researcher day of the Platelet Society annual meeting. On this page you will find the programme and abstracts for the meeting.
We hope you enjoy the day!
The Platelet Society are pleased to be teaming up with NC3Rs to launch a 3Rs prize for opportunities to replace, reduce or refine the use of animals in platelet research. The winning entry will receive a £100 prize from NC3Rs.
Eligibility: Authors of submitted abstracts to the Keele Platelet Society Meeting are invited to submit an entry to for the 3Rs prize.
What you need to do: Write a 200 word description of either:
- How you or your research are impacting the 3Rs
OR
- How you could implement 3Rs principles into your research
This must be relevant to the research that you have submitted for presentation at the Keele Platelet Society Meeting.
How to Submit: Submit your entries using this Form. The submission deadline is 12th March 2021
Scoring Criteria: All entries will be judged by the NC3Rs and Meeting organising committee on the following criteria.
- Aim(s)/objective(s) of the 3Rs initiative
- Approach to implementing the 3Rs initiative
- Scale of the impact of the 3Rs initiative
For information and for 3Rs resources:
The Platelet Society has a place in the 2021 London Marathon available and has opened this up for expressions of Interest from runners. The marathon is due to take place on the 3rd October 2021.
Are you an enthusiastic runner looking to compete in this prestigious event, or do you know a runner who would love to take on the challenge and raise some funds to support the Platelet Society?
Expressions of Interest can be registered by filling in the form at http://bit.ly/PS_MarathonEOI before the 8th March.
The Platelet Society is proud to join scientists from around the world in celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science on the 11th February.
Women in STEM day aims to highlight the fantastic achievements and contributions of women to innovative and ground breaking research, whilst providing a spotlight onto the challenges and biases that women face.
The Platelet Society values its women members highly and we are proud to see members taking leadership roles as Trustees and Committee members, and in driving initiatives such as our ECR working group and the Clot Chat interview series.
For more information about the day and to read inspiring stories of Women in Science visit www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science
Platelet Society member Dr Nick Pugh of Anglia Ruskin University has been commission by the Journal of Visualized Experiments to edit a new collection of platelet based methods. The collection, which will be supported by the Platelet Society, will be entitled “Functional assays used in the investigation of platelet behavior, and in the diagnosis of platelet-related bleeding disorders”, and aims to be the definitive video record of platelet techniques and a key resource for the platelet community.
JoVE is the leading peer-reviewed scientific methods video journal, aimed at improving scientific research by increasing visibility and reproducibility of experimental methods, and disseminating best practice. The JoVE team takes care of the entire process of filming and producing your video, all you need to do is submit your manuscript and then work with the JoVE team to record the video.
Nick is looking for researchers to provide both basic and advanced experimental techniques and welcomes contributions from any researcher in the field.
If you are interested in producing an article you can submit your abstract here:
https://www.jove.com/methods-collections/819
Or, if you wish to discuss an idea further contact Nick on Np24@Aru.ac.uk
Clot Chat series 1 is almost here!!
Over Christmas we have been busy beavering away interviewing platelet scientists, editing videos late into the night and having lengthy scheduling meetings…..
But its almost time for us to launch series 1 of Clot Chat – interviews and discussions with you, the membership of the Society, about things that matter to you.
So watch the trailer below and head over to Clot Chat and get ready for our 1st video, an interview with Harriet Allen, launching during the week of 25th January 2021!
2020 has been quite a year, with many challenges on us at both a personal and professional level. However, there are glimmers of hope and the Platelet Society looks forward to 2021!
Our annual meeting, hosted by Keele, will be be on line in 2021, but the organisers, led by Alan Harper, are putting together a fantastic programme including international invited speakers, short talks, discussion sessions and an ECR focused day. Further information, including abstract submission details can be found here.
The early career researcher community within the Society continues to grow and become a central component of Society activities. This includes exciting developments such as the ECR working groups. Keep an eye open for more more information on these during 2021.
The Society also developed its equity, diversity and inclusion policy and started engaging with members to ensuring it represents everyone in our community. Further information on this and the EDI survey we are currently running can be found here.
An exciting development is our new feature‘Clot Chat’. After a successful discussion focused on equity, diversity and inclusion – with a specific focus on science and the LGBTQ+ community, forthcoming videos will be a mix of short interviews and discussions on a range of topical subjects. Look out for new videos appearing in 2021.
On behalf of the Platelet Society we would like to wish you Season’s Greetings, a peaceful and happy break, and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
December 1st sees the opening of abstract submission for the Platelet Society annual meeting.
Due to ongoing covid restrictions, the meeting will be held online and hosted by Dr Alan Harper at Keele University. The meeting will include an Early Career Researcher day and two days of talks and discussions. Being online, it is hoped that the meeting can be attended by a wide range of platelet and megakaryocyte scientist including colleagues from overseas.
More details about the meeting can be found at https://plateletsociety.co.uk/keele-2021/ including the link for abstract submission.
The 18th November is International LGBTQ+STEM day, an opportunity to celebrate and promote diversity in Science, as well as to highlight the challenges and discrimination faced by members of these and other communities.
There are a range of activities planned for the day and further details can be found at https://prideinstem.org/lgbtstemday/ – we will be highlighting some of these on our Twitter Feed throughout the day.
Excitingly, the Society is also launching a new feature called “Clot Chat”. This will be a regular series of videocasts featuring interviews and discussions with Platelet Society members and featuring topics relevant to Society members. To celebrate LGBTQ+STEM day, the first episode of Clot Chat features a discussion with members of the Platelet Society about issues faced by LGBTQ+ scientists and how we can work to make the Society inclusive. You can watch the first episode here, and future episodes will be available from the News and Events menu of our webpage.
Tuesday 13th October saw the Platelet Society joining with researchers, clinicians and patients from across the world to recognise World Thrombosis Day
Marking the anniversary of the birth of Rudolph Virchow, one of the founders of the study of thrombosis, World Thrombosis Day aims to raise awareness of this important disease and to highlight the important work being done to understand , treat and prevent it.
Members of the Platelet Society are actively involved in understanding the roles of platelets in thrombosis and in developing novel ways to manage and treat it. Furthermore, we undertake education and outreach activities to engage with members of the public to highlight the important work we do and to educate on risk factors for the disease.
More details of our activities can be seen on our Twitter feed and some recent examples are highlighted below. If you fancy trying one of the outreach activities yourself, see this video from committee member Amanda Unsworth!
There is lots more information on World Thrombosis Day on their website.
Monday 12th October saw the Platelet Society hold its 2020 AGM.
In a year where Covid-19 has caused widespread disruption to all aspects of our lives, the Society reflected on how this has affected our members and their research.
The cancellation of the Birmingham Velo, a major fundraiser for the Society, means that we, like all small charities have lost important income for the year and fundraising continues to be a challenge.
The closure of universities and research labs severely impacted our ability to do research, and although a lot of reviews have been written, it is only recently that students and post-docs have been able to restart experiments and return to their projects. In addition, the wide range of scientific meetings and conferences we attend was decimated by lockdowns and travel restrictions, depriving us of the networking and discussions that form an important aspect of our community.
Despite this, we have seen Platelet Society members find innovative ways to work and keep research moving forward. From our fantastic virtual ECR meeting run by Paul, Kirk and Carly, the establishment of ECR working groups to address specific questions for the society, to our members being involved in important research into Covid-19 and thrombosis.
The AGM also saw the launch of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion survey and our statement of intent for how the Society will ensure that EDI is core to everything it does. Members are encouraged to complete the survey which can be found here, and to visit our EDI webpages to findout more.
Finally, we showed an outreach video, created by Amanda Unsworth, to highlight the importance of the work that our members do. The video can be seen below.
The Platelet Society has joined in with National Post-doc Appreciation week (21st – 25th September) and has been spotlighting the amazing post-docs we have as members of the Society.
See all their smiling faces on our Twitter Feed!
It's national Post-doc appreciation week, so we 'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of the amazing Post-docs in the @plateletsociety for all their hardwork, dedication and contributions to the platelet research field. #PlateletECR you guys are amazing! 🔬💉🧬🧫🧪 pic.twitter.com/NtcUM9fiZ7
— The Platelet Society (@plateletsociety) September 21, 2020
ECR virtual meeting.
Following on from our first virtual meeting of Platelet Society early Career Researchers, Dr Kirk Taylor has written a brief meeting report.
See the report here.
Platelet Society ECR Working Group
In a recent ECR survey, we asked you what you wanted from the Society. 60% of respondents said that they would like to see additional activities from the society. Activities that people would like to see include:
- announcements/notice board/blog
- Webinars
- Mentoring/career development opportunities
- Socials
- Skills repository
In response to this Carly Kempster and Kirk Taylor are launching an ECR Working Group to implement new initiatives to deliver on your feedback.
The working group will consist of six people and will be tasked with developing three projects.
- Mentoring and professional development
- Engaging with members
- Knowledge transfer
More information can be found here. The group will be supported by The Platelet Society Executive Committee. Please contact Carly or Kirk if you would like any additional information or discuss the roles informally. We are keen to reflect the diversity of the society and applications are open to all ECRs. Please do encourage your colleagues and peers to apply.
Applications are open through September (closing 30/09/20) and appointments confirmed in October.
The Platelet Society Virtual Early Career Researcher Meeting
Thursday 3rd September
13:00 to 16:00 BST
There is now just 1 week to go before our Virtual Early Career Researchers meeting.
Make sure you register in plenty of time to be a part of this meeting.
Register now: https://bit.ly/ECR_2020
Meeting programme: Virtual ECR programme
The Platelet Society is launching a challenge to all members and their friends and family.
Can we walk, run and cycle the distance between all the labs of Platelet Society members in the UK!
Just the short distance of 2625 Km!
Want to take up the challenge? Find out more on our Platelet Lab Link-Up page and get recording those miles!
In light of the recent developments across Europe regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, the Platelet Society has been monitoring the situation carefully and reviewing our forthcoming events.
It is currently uncertain how quickly our lives will be able to return to some form of normality and when it will be feasible to hold meetings again. We also feel strongly that we do not wish to allow delegates and presenters to feel compelled to travel at a time when uncertainty may still remain.
ECR meeting
The Early Career Researchers meeting schedule for the 23rd April has now been postponed until Thursday 3rd September 2020. This date will of course be subject to review given the continuing uncertainty over the duration of the pandemic. This meeting will still be held at QMUL and all bookings have been carried forward.
As it becomes more certain that the meeting will proceed on the revised date, we will provide further updates. At that time we will also offer guidance on opportunities for submission of new abstracts and data.
Platelet Summer School
The platelet summer school scheduled for Spetember 2020 has been postponed until September 2021. Further information on the revised date and registration information will be posted at the end of 2020.
We hope that you and your familes are able to stay safe over the coming weeks.
Jon, Paul & Kirk