Hoffmeister will moderate two sessions, is a co-author on several Versiti abstracts presented at the event, and serves as the appointed Theme Lead of the Scientific Program Committee on Platelets and Megakaryocytes for the 2025 ISTH Congress.

Research Highlights

Versiti researchers will present several exceptional abstracts:

• New Frontiers in Platelet Biology: Alejandro Roisman, PhD, and Natalia Weich, PhD, will open the Congress with a pair of presentations delivering platelet production insights into B4GALT1's regulation of megakaryopoiesis. Both abstracts illuminate fundamental processes essential for blood health and offer promising targets for future development.
• Transformative Therapeutic Approaches: Francesca Ferraresso will present research on mRNA-based technologies that could enhance treatment for bleeding disorders. Laura Ketelboeter, PhD, will show how siRNA knockdown of plasminogen significantly reduces bleeding in animal models.
• Advanced Diagnostics in Bleeding Disorders: Anna Patricia Miller, PhD, will explore the impact of copy number variants in von Willebrand disease through sophisticated genetic analysis. Pamela Christopherson will compare specialized assays with genetic testing.
• Understanding Thrombo-inflammation: Tomasz Kaminski, PhD, will deliver two presentations that reveal connections between inflammatory pathways and thrombosis in hemophilia and sickle cell disease, respectively. These discoveries point to novel strategies for conditions that require complex and challenging treatment.

Clinical Impact

Several presentations center on the journey from bench to bedside. Lynn Malec, MD, MSc, Senior Medical Director at the Versiti Blood Research Institute and Versiti’s Comprehensive Center for Bleeding Disorders, will deliver her analysis of efanesoctocog alfa's effectiveness in treating pediatric bleeding episodes. These findings could transform treatment protocols for some of our youngest patients.

"Each presentation represents a step forward in our mission to transform scientific discovery into hope for patients," Malec says. "From fundamental science through clinical application, our research carries forward our commitment to advance diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately cures for bleeding and clotting disorders."

The full schedule of Versiti presentations is available below. 

Saturday, June 21

1:00 PM - 1:15 PM | Room 204 A-C
B4galt1 regulates the WNT-ß-catenin axis to control megakaryocyte-primed HSPCs fitness
Presenter: Alejandro Roisman, PhD

1:15 PM - 1:30 PM | Room 204 A-C
Megakaryocyte deletion of B4GALT1 causes defective megakaryopoiesis associated with HSC expansion
Presenter: Natalia Weich, PhD

3:30 - 4:00 PM | Room 152 A&B
Markers for platelet function testing by flow cytometry - where are we now?
Speaker: Benjamin Spurgeon, PhD

Sunday, June 22

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM | Room 145 A&B
Type-I interferon promotes NETs-dependent joint damage in Hemophilia
Presenter: Tomasz Kaminski, PhD

12:15 PM - 1:00 PM | Howard University Room, Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C
Systems hematology: The what how and why
Speaker: Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, MD, MS

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM | Exhibition Hall D & E
PB0259: Using mRNA lipid nanoparticles to reverse PAI-1 deficiency in blood
Poster Networking Presenting Author: Francesca Ferraresso

3:00 PM - 3:15 PM | Room 145 A&B
Essential Role of VWF-aIIbß3 Binding in Thrombus Stability in Vessel Injury
Presenter: Qizhen Shi, MD, PhD

3:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Room 201
Furthering Understanding of VWF Copy Number Variants in Patients with von Willebrand Disease
Presenter: Anna Patricia Miller, PhD

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM | Ballroom A-C
Treatment of Bleeding Episodes with Efanesoctocog Alfa in Children: XTEND-ed Second Interim Analysis
Presenter: Lynn Malec, MD, MSc

Monday, June 23

8:00 AM - 9:15 AM | Room 145 A&B
Navigating the mega(karyocyte)-verse: Unveiling the dynamics of platelet progenitors
Moderator: Karin Hoffmeister, MD

10:50 AM - 11:10 AM | Presentation Theater 2
Moderated Poster Session - Platelets and Megakaryocytes
Moderator: Karin Hoffmeister, MD

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM | Room 145 A&B
Impact of PACSIN2 on megakaryocyte and erythrocyte development
Presenter: Emily Boyd, MS

2:45 PM - 4:00 PM | Room 145 A&B
Megakaryocyte mechanics: Cytoskeleton signaling and hematopoietic disruptions
Moderator: Herve Falet, PhD

3:00 PM - 3:15 PM | Ballroom A-C
siRNA knockdown of plasminogen inhibits fibrinolysis and reduces bleeding in animal models of bleeding disorders
Presenter: Laura Ketelboeter, PhD

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM | Room 201
Decreasing circulating plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) to prolong lifespan
Presenter: Francesca Ferraresso

4:39 PM - 4:52 PM | Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C.
Pre-test and interpretation: clinical genetics best practices
Speaker: Elizabeth Palmer, MS, CGC

Tuesday, June 24

8:00 AM - 8:25 AM | Room 207 A&B
TFPI in vivo
Speaker: Susan Maroney, PhD

9:20 AM - 9:45 AM | Room 145 A&B
Membrane-cytoskeleton interactions in megakaryocytes and platelets
Speaker: Herve Falet, PhD

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM | Room 145 A&B
The Value of VWF Platelet and Factor VIII-Binding Assays vs Genetic Testing in Diagnosing Type 2 VWD
Presenter: Pamela Christopherson

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM | Room 201
TFPIa binds Extracellular Matrix (ECM) proteins Collagen VI (COL6) and Laminin
Presenter: Daniel W Bougie, PhD

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM | Exhibition Hall D & E
Poster Networking Session PNS 03

• PB1358: TFPI slows prothombinase assembly when concizumab is bound to its second Kunitz domain
  Presenting Author: Nicholas Martinez
• PB1403: Evaluation of Interference Compromising Determination of VWF:GPIbM by INNOVANCE® VWF Ac Assay
  Presenting Author: Andrew Podd, PhD
• PB1537: Genetic test selection for thrombocytopenia: diagnostic yield and off target findings
  Presenting Author: Jacquelyn D Riley, MS, CGC
• PB1564: Pathogenic mechanisms of Kindlin-3 missense mutations in LAD-III
  Presenting Author: Zhen Xu, PhD
• PB1618: Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in platelets promotes lung thrombo-inflammation in Sickle Cell Disease
  Presenting Author: Manikanta, PhD
• PB1641: Platelet-RIG-I promotes lung thrombosis in mice exposed to Cigarette Smoke and Flu
  Presenting Author: Tomasz Kaminski, PhD
• PB1715: Implementation of Thrombophilia Guidelines and Choosing Wisely Reduces Inpatient Thrombophilia Tests
  Presenting Author: Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, MD, MS

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM | Ballroom A-C
Decreasing blood loss in bleeding disorders through mRNA-LNP encoding zymogen coagulation factor VII
Presenter: Francesca Ferraresso

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM | Room 206
RIG-I/MAVS signaling in platelets promotes flu induced lung thrombosis in Sickle Cell Disease
Presenter: Tomasz Kaminski, PhD