Nobel 2019 - a new alternative to blood transfusions

In 2019, the Nobel prize in medicine was awarded to three scientists who found that the response to hypoxia is mediated by specific segments of DNA located next to the erythropoietin (EPO) gene. This mechanism of oxygen perception is present in almost all tissues. A protein complex that binds to the above-mentioned DNA segment in an oxygen-dependent manner is called a hypoxia - induced factor (HIF). The discovery of prolylhydroxylases that regulate the stability of HIF-1 allowed us to find hydroxylase inhibitors to increase the level of HIF, which opened new pathways for pharmacological discoveries. In fact, a number of potential drugs are being created that increase HIF function by inhibiting prolylhydroxylase enzymes. Thus, the implementation of the discovery of the Nobel laureates in 2019 fits into the blood-saving ideology adopted at the Pirogov center.