Maha Othman: The Life, Function and Death of Platelets
Maha Othman, Co-Chairman SSC on Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy at International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, shared Mariia (Masha) Naumenko’s post on LinkedIn:
”Proud to have published the first illustrated review in Current Opinion in Hematology
It was a real pleasure to work with two incredibly talented stars who share a passion for high-level scientific communication: Mariia (Masha) Naumenko and Dianne E. van der Wal — what a fun collaboration!
I’m also delighted that our first illustrated review focuses on the life and death of platelets — our favourite little players and key elements of hemostasis.
Science, storytelling, and a little creativity — a great combination!”
Mariia (Masha) Naumenko, Lead Research Engineer at Sirius University of Science and Technology, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article she and her colleagues co-authored, published in Current Opinion in Hematology, adding:
”There was a Nature article some years ago that captured something I have increasingly come to believe: one of the essential purposes of doing science is being able to communicate it to others.
Platelets are a perfect example of why this matters.
Being rediscovered after 100 years of oblivion, these tiny cells have continued to surprise us.
They are small, but remarkably mighty. And when activated, they beautifully spread their pseudopodia, almost transforming into tiny octopuses.
In our new illustrated review, we tried to capture some of this beauty while summarising the essential aspects of platelet biology, and, importantly, highlighting some of the less well-known and fascinating facts about these cells.
The review covers not only platelet biology and function, but also the methods used to investigate them.
The Life, Function and Death of Platelets
This project would not have been possible without the incredible people who helped bring it to life:
I am immensely grateful to Dianne E. van der Wal, an exceptionally talented scientist and science communicator, for her vision, guidance, support and creativity throughout this project.
My sincere thanks to Maha Othman for her guidance, mentorship and invaluable scientific perspective.
I am also very grateful to Anastasiia Naumenko for her substantial contribution to creating the illustrations.
I would like to thank my supervisor Alexander Moskalensky for his help with the biophysical aspects of the work and, as always, for his constant support.
I am particularly grateful for the inspiring webinars of Philipp Dexheimer, which have been a wonderful reminder that art and science do not have to exist in separate worlds, but enrich one another and help us see science differently.
And finally, a heartfelt thank you to Elena Buglakova, scientist and talented artist, for her encouragement and thoughtful advice.
Perhaps this is what science communication is ultimately about: not simply making science easier to understand, but helping people see why it is fascinating in the first place.”
Title: The life, function and death of platelets
Authors: Mariia Naumenko, Dianne E. van der Wal, Anastasiia Naumenko, Alexander Moskalensky, Maha Othman
Stay updated on all scientific advances with Hemostasis Today.
-
Sep 20, 2026, 16:32New Episode of The Hematologist Podcast – ASH
-
Sep 20, 2026, 16:26Thomas Schinecker: A New Era for Health Innovation – Inside the Roche Genentech Innovation Center
-
Sep 20, 2026, 16:19Astha Srivastava: The Missing Megakaryocytes in Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia
-
Sep 20, 2026, 16:19Heghine Khachatryan: An Elegant Example of Precision Thrombolysis – Targeting the Scaffold of Microvascular Thrombosis
-
Sep 20, 2026, 16:01Mohamed Ismail: Managing Extensive Iliofemoral and Inferior Vena Cava DVT
-
Sep 20, 2026, 15:58Can αIIbβ3 Receptor Play a Role in Platelet Production – Glanzmann’s Research Foundation
-
Sep 20, 2026, 15:46Alexsander Santiago: Evaluating Clinical Harm from Missing versus Overdiagnosing HIT
-
Sep 20, 2026, 15:28Nico Gagelmann: iMTSS to Dissect the Drivers of Post-Transplant Outcomes
-
Sep 20, 2026, 15:10Ashenafi Tazebew Amare: Building the Future of Blood and Specialized Healthcare