John W. Semple1, Jin Ye Yeo2
1Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; 2AOB Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company
Correspondence to: Jin Ye Yeo. AOB Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: aob@amegroups.com
Expert introduction
Prof. John W. Semple (Figure 1) obtained his PhD in Immunology from Queen’s University at Kingston and was a Diabetes Canada Fellow at the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research in the C.H. Best Institute, University of Toronto. He joined St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto in 1990 and became Head of the Toronto Platelet Immunobiology Group and a Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine at the University of Toronto. In 2016, he moved to Lund University where he is currently a Professor of Transfusion Medicine and Group Leader in Platelet Immunology.
In addition to being the recipient of many awards, he is a member of several organizations and has delivered over 180 presentations at international meetings. He is currently the Scientific Secretary of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, and serves on the editorial boards of Haematologica, Transfusion and the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. His primary research interests include the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) where he studies animal models of platelet immunity. His lab also focuses on the pathogenic mechanisms that lead to transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). His lab was also one of the first to describe toll-like receptor (TLR) expression on platelets in 2004 and since then, he has had an interest in platelet-immune interactions. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications in the area of ITP, platelet immunology and TRALI.
Figure 1 Prof. John W. Semple
Interview
AOB: What inspired you to pursue transfusion medicine?
Prof. Semple: After my post-doc studying the T cell reactivity against insulin in type I diabetes, I was recruited by Dr. John Freedman of St. Michel’s hospital to develop a research program in platelet immunology. Since then, I have been actively involved in platelet immunity and have now branched out into adverse effects of transfusion such as transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI).
AOB: Could you provide an overview of recent publications in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)? Are there any important findings that stood out to you?
Prof. Semple: There are so many papers on ITP immunopathogenesis that it is difficult to pick just one. I think the most important finding to date that is still being actively pursued is that patients (and animals) with ITP have a peripheral deficiency of T regulatory cells suggesting a loss of immune tolerance. Any intervention that raises the Treg levels correlated with increases with platelet counts. This finding (now supported by 100’s of papers) is a key discovery in ITP.
AOB: What aspects of ITP research do you believe have been overlooked or received insufficient attention?
Prof. Semple: I think analysis of the bone marrow and the potential immune response that can occur there may be an important avenue to understand the disorder.
AOB: As a seasoned presenter at local, national, and international conferences, what do you hope to see more of in these conferences? How will these changes impact the transfusion medicine research community?
Prof. Semple: I think more basic research into the immunopathogenesis of ITP will be crucial to understanding this disorder and how therapies work in patients.
AOB: Looking back, what do you consider to be the most significant achievement/milestone in your career?
Prof. Semple: I think first showing the T helper cell defect and the Th1 skewing in ITP are two of my significant contributions in ITP. Many labs are now studying T cells in ITP and 100’s of papers have been published on how T cells affect the disease.
AOB: What advice do you have for budding researchers who wish to excel in the field of transfusion medicine research?
Prof. Semple: Work hard and read the literature on your subject especially the older literature (back to the 50’s). This will give you a broad understanding of your field.
AOB: How has your experience been as an Editorial Board Member of AOB?
Prof. Semple: Really excellent. Our theme issue on ITP was a big hit.
AOB: As an Editorial Board Member, what are your expectations for AOB?
Prof. Semple: To keep publishing quality papers with more theme issues.