Platelet Society members had the opportunity to attend the Northern Vascular Biology Forum (NVBF) meeting hosted by Sheffield Hallam University in December.

The NVBF is made up of 12 Universities in the North of England, and a northern vascular scientists attend every year to showcase their research.

This year, Dr Sarah Jones chaired the first session and Professor Khalid Naseem gave a plenary talk on new models of platelet hyperactivity and thrombosis. Dr Amanda Unsworth gave a talk on repurposing drugs as anti-thrombotics and Ryan Riley (PhD student, Manchester Metropolitan University, Supervisor Dr Sarah Jones) gave an oral presentation on the endothelial contribution to thrombus formation and antithrombotic efficacy. Manchester Met postgraduate students Amelia Drysdale (PhD) and Badrija Khalifa (MRes) both presented posters.

Outside of the field, and of particular interest to platelet researchers was a presentation by Dr Torsten Schenkel, on fluid dynamics from Sheffield Hallam University. Dr Schenkel highlighted the effect of blood rheology on cells and platelets, presenting a model of vascular fluid dynamics and demonstrating the value of interdisciplinary collaboration. Following the final presentation, Professor Naseem chaired a session on applying for funding from Heart Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

 The meeting covered a variety of topics related to cardiovascular science, some of which had implications in platelet research. The diverse range of knowledge and expertise of the researchers in attendance contributed to the overall success of this meeting, opening up opportunities for learning and collaboration across the specialism and benefitting early career researchers across the region. Overall, a strong showing from the northern Platelet Society members to a very successful and enjoyable meeting.

Report by Ryan Riley and Amelia Drysdale