The University of Zurich (UZH) was represented in an international research group that has now discovered a new type of cell, further details of which can be found in a press release. In their search for the main producer of the vital endogenous hormone erythropoietin, or EPO for short, they struck gold in the kidneys. The researchers have now named the newly identified subgroup of kidney cells “Norn cells”.
The hormone EPO, which is perhaps best known to the general public as a performance-enhancing drug used in cycling and other endurance sports, controls the production of oxygen-transporting red blood cells in the body. These cover the oxygen requirements of the cells.
According to the information in the press release, these Norn cells boast great medical potential. More than 10 percent of the population suffers from chronic kidney diseases, which often compromise the body’s capacity to produce EPO and can therefore cause anemia. Severe cases can sometimes even be fatal. However, there is now an opportunity to develop techniques that stimulate Norn cells to produce EPO in greater quantities and “to improve the quality of life for patients without having to administer artificial EPO”, comments Professor Roland Wenger from the Institute of Physiology at UZH.
Wenger has been researching the EPO production process for 30 years. Together with co-last author Ido Amit of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, Wenger compares their discovery to that of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas in the 1950s and the impact this had on the treatment of diabetes. ce/mm
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