ISTH 2017 Berlin revisited.

The ISTH Congress 2017 in Berlin attracted more than 9500 participants from 110 countries, bringing together physicians and researchers in the largest global meeting of the thrombosis and hemostasis field this year (Figure). This congress in one of Europe's most dynamic and attractive cities featured 131 invited speakers, including eight plenary presentations and 84 state‐of‐the‐art lectures by leaders in our disciplines. The congress also presented 39 scientific abstract symposia with an introductory review lecture, followed by oral presentations of top‐scoring abstracts related to these timely topics in thrombosis and hemostasis research. This central international meeting of our disciplines covered all aspects from basic science to clinical practice related to bleeding disorders and thrombosis. In addition to the ground‐breaking advances in thrombosis and hemophilia therapy, this year's congress marked the launch of the open access journal of the ISTH, Research & Practice in Thrombosis & Haemostasis (RPTH), providing new opportunities for rapid and innovative dissemination of the latest advances in our fields.

ISTH congresses traditionally presented state‐of‐the‐art issues of the printed ISTH Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, but frequently these contributions covered overlapping research areas. To increase novelty and impact, we introduced a new format and published a review series by selected speakers summarizing timely questions and consolidated advances in the field. Inevitably, such comprehensive reviews do not encompass more recent and exciting aspects of breaking areas and presentations of novel data at the ISTH congress. The open access format of RTPH offered a unique opportunity for distribution of these recent developments across disciplines. Several invited speakers have agreed to contribute up‐to‐date state‐of‐the‐art articles that will relate the topic of their presentation to the work of others presented for the first time during the congress. These reviews will range from basic, translational and clinic aspects in the areas of platelet pathophysiology, athero‐ and venous thrombosis, to hemophilia and bleeding disorders.

For example, in this issue Bergmeier and Stefanini1 discuss the dual roles of platelets in hemostasis and in protection of the vasculature from inflammatory damage. This review documents an active area of research that dissects the distinct platelet signaling pathways supporting platelet functions in specific vascular beds. Masias and Cataland2 review diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the clinical management of acquired and congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Progress has been made in developing targeted therapies based on the understanding of the pathophysiology of TTP, enabling approaches that may supplement or replace plasma exchange as the current standard of care.

These and forthcoming reviews to be published in RPTH document the rapid progress across scientific boundaries and reflect the broad technological and scientific innovation that continues to transform thrombosis and hemostasis research. Several of the reviews are focused on the increasingly appreciated interactions of the hemostatic system with inflammation and immunity. The deeper understanding of how multi‐cellular interactions contribute to thrombo‐inflammatory disorders will eventually drive innovations in diagnosis and therapy of acquired bleeding disorders and thrombosis. Genetic advances will impact not only the diagnosis of bleeding disorders, but are key drivers for epidemiological and outcome studies in thrombosis research. The impact of these areas of intense current research on clinical practice, diagnosis, and therapy will be highlighted in several reviews.

We hope that this review series in the newly launched RPTH will fill an existing gap in providing a timely communication of new developments. This format should be well suited for international exchange in our active and vibrant field with many opportunities for young investigators in the future.

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