Since the 1950s, researchers have recognized that red blood cell numbers expand or contract as needed, according to the amount of available oxygen. The later discoveries that erythropoietin and VEGF levels adapt to oxygen levels launched a new field aimed at understanding how cells sense and respond to normal- and low-oxygen environments. The 2016 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award recognizes key discoveries about this global oxygen sensing pathway and its impacts on pathogenesis, including cancer and inflammation.
Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.