McMaster’s Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) Summit 2023 attracted over 400 international participants

By Alexander Danne and Dimpy Modi

In late October last year, 433 medical professionals around the globe gathered virtually to discuss the latest research in the field of Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) at the McMaster University’s annual ITP summit.

The summit, which is run through the Continuing Professional Development Office (CPD), is offered by Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Transfusion Research at no cost to the participants.

ITP is a common blood disorder that presents many diagnostic and management challenges for clinicians. ITP interferes with the blood clotting system and can restrict the healing process of bruises and wounds.

“In the past decade, it has become clear that ITP is a complex disorder stemming from multiple possible causes. Consequently, we have seen a rapid evolution in the diagnosis, management, and treatment options for ITP. The ITP summit meeting featured a comprehensive program to summarize the current knowledge and treatments of ITP” says Donald Arnold, Co-Medical Director in the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Transfusion Research group at McMaster University and program chair.

Planning Committee member and CEO of the Platelet Disorder Support Association (PDSA), Caroline Kruse, is passionate about the summit. “This is McMaster’s second ITP summit virtual conference which brings together an international community of hematologists, immunologists, and translational and basic scientists. This year’s conference theme was primary versus secondary ITP. It is essential that physicians recognize what is most important about both the disease and the treatment from the patient’s perspective.” Kruse says.

This year’s summit focused on various aspects of ITP, aiming to:

• Examine key differences between primary and secondary ITP,
• Summarize mechanisms of secondary ITP in the context of autoimmune disease,
• Review infection-associated ITP.

The feedback from participants was positive and reflective of their appreciation for an enriching learning experience.

“Excellent learning and collaboration opportunity,” one participant said.

“This was a great summit! [It was] very interesting to hear about the association with immunodeficiency/autoimmune disorder,” another participant said.

Reflecting on the success of the summit, Donald Arnold has expressed optimism for the future of ITP research. “With many new and exciting research advancements on the horizon, we’re looking forward to hosting future summits and fostering education in this important area of research,” Arnold says.

Want to know more?  

The Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Transfusion Research group has plenty of information and resources available.