Imtiaz Ali wins IBMS Manchester branch poster prize
The IBMS warmly congratulates Imtiaz Ali on winning the IBMS Manchester poster prize.
Each year the IBMS Manchester branch awards a £50 prize for the best MSc poster based on the student’s final year research project, from a practising biomedical scientist. The winner presents their poster at the branch AGM and scientific meeting and receives their prize.
This year’s recipient was Imtiaz Ali, MIBMS. He is in his final year at Manchester Metropolitan University and currently works at the Haematology department at Airedale General Hospital.
His winning poster was entitled ‘Immature platelet fraction as a marker in the indication of the aetiology of thrombocytopenia’. Imtiaz kindly answered the following interview questions.
What course did you study?
MSc Biomedical Science (Haematology)
Could you tell us about your poster project?
Platelets play a crucial role with their primary function being the formation of a platelet plug in vascular injury, inherited and acquired platelet disorders can result in thrombocytopenia and potential bleeding episodes. As most platelet parameters have not proved as useful or are difficult to perform with limitation, the Immature platelet fraction is a quick and easy assay that was investigated for its efficiency.
Objective: To assess if Immature platelet fraction (IPF) can potentially be used as a marker to identify the aetiology of thrombocytopenia in patients
Patients with thrombocytopenic disorders were categorised into their underlying mechanism, which included reduced thrombopoiesis, increased consumption, splenic sequestration, drugs, inherited disorders and pseudothrombocytopenia. The samples were tested for the levels of IPF% present in the peripheral blood using a specialised fluorescence optical analysis on a Sysmex XN 10 haematology analyser.
Conclusion: The immature platelet fraction analysis showed that it could potentially be used to diagnose increased consumption thrombocytopenia and pseudothrombocytopenia and help narrow the differential diagnosis in identifying the thrombocytopenia aetiology. When individual disorders were examined in each cohort they showed some individual disorders could also be identified due to their high levels of IPF% such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
What’s your favourite thing about your field of study?
The best parts of Haematology are that it offers a wide variety of interesting tests that a biomedical scientist can perform and interpret such as manual morphological examination of blood to more automated techniques such as platelet assays. Also the scientific developments in the field of haematology offer interesting insight’s to human disease that can potential affect all of us.
What are your future career plans?
In the short term to get my research published in a haematology journal and in the longer term when possible to continue my academic studies within haematology and also in other specialities as well to broaden my knowledge.
What advice would you give to aspiring biomedical scientists?
Try to experience as much as you can within all pathology departments to find a field of study and work you enjoy as it makes the whole process easier and more fun.
The IBMS congratulates Imtiaz on his win, and wishes him the best of luck in his future career goals. For more information about accredited degrees in biomedical science, click here. To learn more about IBMS regions and branches, click here.