Wolfgang Miesbach/LinkedIn; John Semple/Loop Frontiers
Apr 15, 2026, 21:24
Wolfgang Miesbach: Key Message from John Semple on Platelets as Immune Cells in ITP
Wolfgang Miesbach, Professor of Medicine at Frankfurt University Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“‘Platelets are immune cells.’
That was the key message from John Semple’s outstanding talk on ITP at the recent EHA‑SWG Scientific Meeting on Bleeding and Platelet Disorders.
For beyond Haemostasis, platelets:
- Sense danger via pattern‑recognition receptors and respond to pathogens
- Release chemokines, cytokines, antimicrobial peptides and extracellular vesicles that shape innate and adaptive immunity
- Interact with neutrophils, monocytes, dendritic cells and T cells, influencing their recruitment, activation and polarization
In ITP this dual role is crucial: platelets are not only passive targets of autoantibodies and cytotoxic T cells, but active players that modulate inflammation, immune tolerance and infection risk.
What is especially exciting is how this biology is now translating into future treatment options:
- FcRn antagonists, BTK and SYK inhibitors to reduce pathogenic antibody production and signalling
- BAFF/APRIL and complement inhibitors to reshape the autoimmune milieu
- CD38‑targeting antibodies and other approaches that selectively deplete autoreactive immune cells”
Other posts featuring Wolfgang Miesbach on Hemostasis Today.
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Oct 13, 2026, 21:05Francisco Chacón-Lozsán: Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia – When an Anticoagulant Triggers Thrombosis
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Oct 13, 2026, 21:04Aref Zribi: Isolated Tumor Thrombus and the Role of Prophylactic Anticoagulation
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Oct 13, 2026, 21:01Alex Larson: Why Normal Bloodwork Does Not Always Tell the Whole Story
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Oct 13, 2026, 20:58Juan Jauregui-Lozano: How Replication Stress Impairs Red Blood Cell Maturation
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Oct 13, 2026, 20:55Caitlin Raymond: Understanding Platelet Refractoriness Before Ordering More Platelets
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Oct 13, 2026, 20:54Sanja Seratlic: How Cow Feeding Systems Influence the Anti-Platelet Properties of Cheddar Cheese
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Oct 13, 2026, 20:50Ruchika Goel: Cord Blood Red Blood Cells as a Physiologically Aligned Transfusion Strategy
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Oct 13, 2026, 20:47Sophia Delicou: Strengthening Transfusion Safety Through Advanced Screening and Haemovigilance
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Oct 13, 2026, 20:45Lydia Pecker: Alloimmunization and Transfusion Indications in Sickle Cell Disease Pregnancy