As we move into the new decade, it is time to consider the current state and future of Platelets and the field of platelet and megakaryocyte research.
The last year has been a very successful year for Platelets with an increase in impact factor of almost one point moving the journal up ten places in the list of hematology journals. Platelets now lies just over one impact factor behind The Journal of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, and Thrombosis and Hemostasis. Platelets underwent a 25% increase in content in 2019 to reflect the number of high quality submissions and to reduce the backlog of accepted manuscripts (each manuscript is available online upon acceptance). We continue to receive positive comments from authors and colleagues on the quality and importance of the journal to the field.
In the last year, we have debated changing the name to Platelets and Megakaryocytes to reflect the increasing importance of megakaryocyte research. However, following discussion among the editorial board and with the publishers, Taylor and Francis, we have chosen to stay with the current title, Platelets. While we are not aspiring to the impact factors of single name journals such Nature, Science, Cell and Blood, a single word title summarizes everything that we wish to consider for publication. Not only does this encompass research in megakaryocytes, but it also includes the many new areas of platelet research including their emerging role(s) in development, infection and inflammation.
Modern-day research practice is changing with increasing emphasis on teams of researchers, use of advanced technology and a greater awareness of cell-specific processes and pathways. This inevitably leads to the need for a more specialist editorial board who can assess manuscripts in light of the previous literature and the nuances of the processes that underlie the cell type in question. Platelets has an internationally recognized editorial board that covers all aspects of platelet research, and which has been further strengthened by the appointment of Dr Jianlin Qiao from Xuzhou Medical University, reflecting also the increasing number of submissions from China.
We have made several changes to Platelets over the last five years. We have introduced Review Series consisting of several shorter articles focussed on a specific topic. In 2020 we will publish Series on immune thrombocytopenia (Editor Dr Philip Choi), megakaryocytes (Editors Drs Beth Psaila and Cedric Ghevaert), advanced microscopy in platelet research (Editors Drs Natalie Poulter and Steve Thomas), animal models of thrombosis (Editor Dr Tim Stalker) and platelets in inflammation and infection (Editors Drs Craig Jenne and Julie Rayes). We have introduced opinion articles, gene of the issue summaries, and discussions with established platelet researchers. In each issue, we select a plenary paper from the contents list and in the last year have selected papers in basic and clinical science, systematic reviews, gene of the issue and short communications (see list below). The corresponding author of each paper receives a framed print. We have also recently introduced personal subscriptions.
Lowe GC, Fickowska R, Al Ghaithi R, Maclachlan A, Harrison P, Lester W, Watson SP, Myers B, Clark J, Morgan NV. Investigation of the contribution of an underlying platelet defect in women with unexplained heavy menstrual bleeding. Platelets. 2019;30:56–65.
Parker WAE, Orme RC, Hanson J, Stokes HM, Bridge CM, Shaw PA, Sumaya W, Thorneycroft K, Petrucci G, Porro B, Judge HM, Ajjan RA, Rocca B, Storey RF. Very-low-dose twice-daily aspirin maintains platelet inhibition and improves hemostasis during dual-antiplatelet therapy for acute coronary syndrome. Platelets. 2019;30:148–157.
Claushuis TAM, Van Der Veen AIP, Horn J, Schultz MJ, Houtkooper RH, Van ‘t Veer C, Van Der Poll T. Platelet Toll-like receptor expression and activation induced by lipopolysaccharide and sepsis. Platelets. 2019;30:296–304.
Blomqvist LRF, Strandell AM, Baghaei F, Hellgren MSE. Platelet aggregation in healthy women during normal pregnancy - a longitudinal study. Platelets. 2019;30:438–444.
Alfredsson J, Swahn E, Gustafsson KM, Janzon M, Jonasson L, Logander E, Nilsson L, Lindahl TL. Individual long-term variation of platelet reactivity in patients with dual antiplatelet therapy after myocardial infarction. Platelets. 2019;30:572–578.
Jandrot-Perrus M, Hermans C, Mezzano D. Platelet glycoprotein VI genetic quantitative and qualitative defects. Platelets. 2019;30:708–713.
Discepola V, Schnitzer ME, Jolicoeur EM, Rousseau G, Lordkipanidzé M. Clinical importance of thrombocytopenia in patients with acute coronary syndromes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Platelets. 2019;30:817–827.
Taylor KA, Mahaut-Smith MP. A major interspecies difference in the ionic selectivity of megakaryocyte Ca(2+)-activated channels sensitive to the TMEM16F inhibitor CaCCinh-A01. Platelets. 2019;30:962–966.
We received a wide variety of images for the annual front-cover competition; the Editorial Board scored these images blindly. We were pleased to announce that the 2020 front cover will be a false-colored SEM image showing platelets growing filopodia during spreading, which was submitted by Elmira Mohamed, Lucy Coupland and Takuya Tsuzuki from the Center for Advanced Microscopy, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
So what will the next 10 years hold for Platelets? Platelet research is rapidly expanding with discoveries on the role of platelets in areas such as development, infection, inflammation, inflammatory hemostasis, organ repair etc., and recognition that many of these have pathological counterparts such as in cancer and sepsis. The ‘new’ field of thrombo-inflammation is now a major driver of platelet research. Many of these new roles involve ‘non-classical’ platelet receptors such as CLEC-2, revealing novel targets for antiplatelet agents. We still know very little however about the role of many of the proteins in platelets, including the highly expressed receptors PEAR1 and TLT-1, suggesting that there is much more to be discovered. The next few years will see refinement of methods for platelet formation in vitro which, coupled with CRISPR-CAS technology, will lead to the production of designer platelets for research tool and therapeutic agents. Antiplatelet agents are currently widely prescribed to patients at risk of two of the major killers in the modern world, acute coronary syndromes and ischemic stroke, but as our understanding of the biological roles of platelets continues, new classes of antiplatelet drugs will be tested and enter the clinic in a much wider range of diseases, including cancer and inflammatory disorders.
Platelets will continue to play a critical role in this revolution.