About ASH

Scientific Committee on Megakaryocytes and Platelets

Committee Roster

Chair
Lijun Xia, MD, PhD  ('24)

Vice Chair
Alessandra Balduini, MD  ('24)

Appointed Members
Joseph  E. Aslan, PhD  ('24)
Robert  A. Campbell, PhD  ('24)
Jaehyung Cho, PhD  ('24)
Pavel Davizon-Castillo, MD  ('26)
Marie  Alice Hollenhorst, MD, PhD  ('26)
Antonija  Jurak Jurak Begonja, PhD  ('25)
Bethan Psaila, MD, PhD  ('25)
Randal  Joseph Westrick, PhD  ('25)

Staff Liaison
Alice Kuaban, MS

Committee Mandate

Committee focus:

  • The role of platelets and megakaryocytes in thrombosis, hemostasis, inflammation, infection, cancer, and vascular biology including the bone marrow vasculature and environment
  • Megakaryocyte development and platelet biogenesis under steady-state and pathological conditions
  • Platelet activation and function
  • Megakaryocyte and platelet homeostasis
  • Development and ontology of the megakaryocyte lineage, with particular emphasis on the relationship between HSCs and megakaryocyte progenitors

Clinical areas covered:

  • Bleeding and thrombosis as primary platelet diseases
  • Inherited and acquired thrombocytopenias, thrombocytosis, and platelet function disorders
  • Inherited and acquired megakaryocyte dysfunction leading to bone marrow and platelet disorders
  • The relationship between platelets and megakaryocytes and transfusion/transplantation (including platelet and red blood cell transfusion, and hematopoietic stem cell transplants)
  • Emerging therapies and novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of platelet-mediated clot formation and disorders of platelet number and function

Methodological aspects:

  • In vitro and in vivo assays to evaluate platelet and megakaryocyte number and function
  • Bioimaging of megakaryopoiesis and platelet production, thrombus formation, and hemostasis in vivo
  • Genomic, proteomic, glycomic and pharmacogenomic approaches
  • In vitro systems of platelet production (e.g. iPS cells) for custom platelets and transfusion
  • Genetic and genomic approaches to understanding the contribution of megakaryocyte and platelet biology to human disease
  • Model organisms, including mouse and zebrafish

Emerging areas:

  • microRNA and systems biology in the dissection of platelet function
  • In vitro production of megakaryocytes/platelets for transfusion
  • Genome engineering for the correction of megakaryocyte and platelet disorders
  • Novel pharmacological targets (including platelet receptors, glycans, lipoxygenases, thiol isomerases), that modulate platelet, megakaryocyte, and progenitor function
  • Novel microscopy techniques (e.g. superresolution, lattice light sheet)
  • Bioengineering to evaluate contribution of the physical environment (including blood flow and its attendant forces) to megakaryocyte and platelet function

Relationship with other committees:
This committee encompasses both the basic science and the clinical aspects of megakaryocyte and platelet function. It overlaps with the committees on Hemostasis, Hematopoiesis, and on Thrombosis & Vascular Biology, but differs in several critical areas. First, inherited and acquired platelet disorders are exclusively covered by the Megakaryocytes and Platelets committee. Second, the Megakaryocytes and Platelets committee covers a wide spectrum of topics not covered by the others, including the development of the megakaryocyte lineage (including HSCs, progenitors and megakaryocytes), platelet biogenesis, genetics, structure, biochemistry, biophysics and signal transduction. It also integrates glycan analysis with platelet, megakaryocyte and bone marrow function. Third, the Megakaryocytes and Platelets committee has limited coverage of coagulation and vascular wall biology. Because of their distinctive but collaborative nature, the Scientific Committees on Hemostasis, Megakaryocytes and Platelets and Thrombosis & Vascular Biology have jointly developed a Symposium on the Basic Science of Hemostasis and Thrombosis that has been held in conjunction with the annual ASH meeting since 2006.

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