CD36 is well known as a glycoprotein on platelets. It is involved in fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) and has also been implicated in post-transfusion purpura (PTP), transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), and platelet refractoriness.
However, CD36 is also present on erythroid progenitors, reticulocytes, and mature red blood cells. Importantly, it is quite common within certain population groups to find individuals lacking CD36 not only on platelets but on other cells. Such individuals may form anti-CD36 antibodies, which have been shown to cause severe fetal anemia, in some cases leading to hydrops fetalis. These antibodies can also give rise to problems in screening tests for blood group antibodies.
In this webinar, Prof. Martin L. Olsson will summarize clinical, serological, and molecular aspects of CD36 and describe how it was recently acknowledged by ISBT as the 45th blood group system.
Martin L. Olsson, M.D., Ph.D.
Martin L. Olsson received his M.D. in 1991 and Ph.D. in 1997 from Lund University in Sweden, where he is a Professor and Senior Consultant in Transfusion Medicine. He recently served as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and is Medical Director of the Nordic Reference Laboratory in Lund. His main clinical and research interests are the molecular genetics of blood groups and their functional roles in health and disease.
Prof. Olsson has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles and over 300 peer-reviewed congress abstracts. His many awards include prestigious prizes from AABB, BBTS, and ISBT. He was the President of ISBT from 2018 to 2020.