In the 1980s, about 120 years after Max Schultze and Gulio Bizzozzero first described platelets [Citation1–4] and William Osler had established that platelets contribute to thrombotic problems [Citation5], the number of scientists conducting platelet research was significantly lower than today. At that time, most researchers in the field of haemostasis studied clotting factors, especially FVIII and FIX, fibrinolysis or endothelial cells and several of them “sniggered” behind the backs of the few scientists, who dedicated their professional life to platelets, as platelets were not perceived as “real cells”, but just dull cell fragments or dust, even with the discovery of the mechanism of aspirin and its utility as an effective antithrombotic agent. I personally was advised by a senior researcher to stop working on the dull platelets as they even do not have a nucleus, the main problems were seen to be already solved and the remaining problems were viewed as peripheral. Therefore, how can an individual survive in the academic world if one has only a passion for a research subject that is not fashionable?
In 1986, a group of German-speaking researchers, who shared their insatiable curiosity about platelets, were quite ready for the idea that a network of people, with whom they were able to discuss their work and other interests in a friendly manner, were necessary to support this scientific field.
Klaus-Peter Voelkl, who worked at the Institute for Physiology at the Medical Faculty of Muenster, one of the founders of the “German Platelet Meeting” remembered that the idea to initiate such meetings was first discussed after a talk by an invited guest at his institution. The first Platelet Meeting with the title “Physiologie, Biochemie und Anatomie der Plättchen” (physiology, biochemistry and anatomy of platelets) was therefore born and organized about 30 years ago in 1986 by Klaus-Peter Voelkl and Heinz Schröer in a hotel in Ascheberg, near Muenster. The language of this meeting was German and there were no posters, but only oral presentations from 5, 10, or 15 min with a plenty of time dedicated to informal discussion and exchange of ideas. The meeting also attracted many other European platelet scientists including Gustav Born (London), Ernst F. Lüscher (Berne), Kenneth J. Clemetson (Berne), Jan Willem Akkerman (Utrecht), Eberhard Morgenstern (Homburg/Saar), Winfried Siffert (Essen), Rolf Dierichs (Muenster), Reiner Schröer (Hoechst, as a sponsor), Heinrich Patscheke (Mannheim), and Carl M. Kirchmaier (Frankfurt). The meeting became an annual event and I first attended the “platelet meeting” in Ascheberg in 1989 with over 20 participants. Although Muenster, located at the border to the Netherlands, is a very nice city, it was not an ideal venue because of its location and distance from the airport. Therefore, a decision was made to organize the meeting every year at a different place to allow more platelet enthusiasts to attend this meeting. The first meeting was organized in 1990 by Heinrich Patscheke in Deidesheim, where we had many fruitful discussions with local wines. Also, just prior to this simultaneously in 1989, the Wall between the two parts of Germany came down allowing Peter Spangenberg and Wolfgang Loesche from the former GDR to join our platelet network. shows a list of all organizers and meeting locations kindly collated by Eberhard Morgenstern who organized the platelet meeting in Kirkel in 1991 with 41 attendees. I then organized the platelet meeting in 1992 at the water castle (Wasserburg) Anholt with 48 attendees and several participants who understood German quite perfectly, but still preferred to give their lectures in English, e.g., Jan J. Sixma (Utrecht) and Nils Olav Solum (Oslo). This meeting, therefore, was the first, where oral presentations were either in German or English. In the past, we had the common opinion that the meeting should be informal, and most of us gave presentations about ongoing research in progress without the need for abstract books. However, after a long discussion, the majority of attendees voted for a book of abstracts to be included in future meetings. Stan Heptinstall started attending the Platelet Meetings from 1999 onwards and kindly offered to publish all meeting abstracts in the new journal “Platelets” [Citation7–15]. The only German that Stan could speak at that time was “3 Bier, bitte.” (three pints of ale, please) as he is a very generous person, who never orders drinks only for himself. With the interest of Stan and many other non-German-speaking Europeans, the official language of future Platelet Meetings was then changed to English. Stan was often accompanied by young colleagues from his laboratory including Jane May, James Vickers, and Jackie Glenn who all contributed to several sessions at these meetings. Stan’s laboratory was investigating both platelet ADP receptors and platelet–monocyte interactions at that time. I especially remember the meeting in Le Bischenberg, Alsace, organized by Christian Gachet in 2000. Stan Heptinstall, Peter Spangenberg, Wolfgang Loesche, and I travelled together in the car of Peter after this meeting back to Nottingham, as Stan had invited all three of us to give lectures about platelets and haemostasis to third year medical students in Nottingham. This annual course then continued every year until 2013, 1 year after Stan’s retirement at the University of Nottingham. On the way back to the UK, we enjoyed the French food in a small pub in the Alsace and had a lot of fun and of course discussed platelet science and meetings
Table I. List of European Platelet Meetings held since 1986.
Now established as a true international meeting, more and more scientists attended the Platelet Meeting and it then became a European meeting. Stan, together with Wolfgang Loesche and Peter Spangenberg were also organizing the “Erfurt Platelet Meetings” (see the article by Wolfgang and Peter in this issue). Attendees of these meeting also included scientists from Eastern Europe. The abstracts of the “Erfurt Platelet Meetings” were also published in the journal “Platelets” by Stan [Citation16–23]. With the Nottingham Platelet Conference in 2010 Stan Heptinstall combined together the “German platelet meeting”, the Erfurt Conference on Platelets and the UK Platelet Meeting.
This landmark meeting was a catalyst to form the European Platelet Network or EUPLAN. The first EUPLAN meeting was then organized in 2012 by Johan Heemskerk in Maastricht with greater than 200 participants from all over Europe.
A practical consequence and possibly the most important achievement of these European platelet meetings in my eyes is to build and cement solid relationships and collaborations between researchers in the field of platelets, to build a friendly community of researchers and knowledge often with true lifelong friendships.
In this way, Stan Heptinstall, by opening the meeting to Europe and publishing the abstracts of the European meetings in the journal “Platelets”, was a true pioneer of platelet research in the whole of Europe.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank two persons who helped me recall some nice memories and gave me information on the founding of the German Platelet Meeting: Klaus-Peter Völkl and Eberhard Morgenstern.
Declaration of interest
The author has read and understood the journal’s policy on declaration of interests and declares that he has no competing interests.
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