Platelet transfusions and other hemostatic therapies in inherited thrombocytopenia

Speakers: Andreas Greinacher, Carlo Zaninetti

Dr. Andreas Greinacher, specialized in transfusion medicine, immunohematology and hemostasis, had been full professor and head of the department of transfusion medicine and the thrombosis and hemostasis service at the Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Germany until 2024, where he is now associated as senior professor. His research interests are hereditary and immune-mediated thrombocytopenias, especially heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and application of biophysics to understand molecular mechanisms of antigenicity of endogenous proteins. He has identified the genetic basis of the HNA-3a antigen, an important cause of TRALI, developed a new, immune based, treatment approach for HUS during the EHEC outbreak in Germany in 2011, and contributed to better understanding of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. In the 1990s, he was the principal investigator of the studies leading to international approval of recombinant hirudin as the first non-heparin/warfarin anticoagulant. Since 2021, his work on vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) received major attention by the scientific community and the general public, with the most recent identification of VITT-like disorders after (viral) infections as one cause of severe, recurrent venous and arterial thrombosis. He has published more than 500 papers on these topics and has received several national and international awards.
He engaged especially in the ISTH Educational Committee. Since 2017 he continues this work in several projects in Nigeria to improve safe blood supply in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Carlo Zaninetti got graduated in Medicine and surgery and specialized in Internal Medicine at the University of Pavia (Italy). He currently works as physician and researcher at the Department of Transfusion Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald (Germany), under the mentorship of Prof. Andreas Greinacher. His research focus are clinical and diagnostic aspects of inherited platelet disorders.