Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

A matter of blood:understandinganaemiaIt is one of the most common and widespread human geneticdisorders in existence and there is no effective cure, as ofyet. Swimmer and Olympic silver medallist Tim Shaw has it,and so do countless others. The symptoms are evasive andfl uctuate. They range from constant fatigue to dizziness, alack of concentration and others, some of which can be quitedebilitating.Hereditary anaemias deplete the red blood cells of oxygen andin some cases force the heart to beat at a faster pace. In severecases, organs may even suffer from a lack of oxygen. In othercases, lips go pale and fi nger nails become brittle.Finding ways to tackle hereditary anaemias is a demandingtask for any scientist, and is impossible without thoroughknowledge of how the condition develops. A group of 14 talentedMarie Curie Fellows under the coordination of Professor SjaakPhilipsen set out to understand the underlying mechanisms ofhow the body produces red blood cells, a process known aserythropoiesis. Eurythron, a research training network, receivedalmost EUR 3 million in funding from the Marie Curie programmefor the four-year study.Anaemias are caused when erythropoiesis stops functioningproperly. Understanding how erythropoiesis is controlled at themolecular level allowed Eurythron to design novel therapiesthat could potentially lead to cures for anaemias. The team wasable to generate a comprehensive molecular description of themechanisms that drive the entire process. The knowledge obtainedthrough their multidisciplinary approach may also be instrumentalin tackling other erythroid disorders, such as leukaemias.If science is to help Europe remain competitive on the worldstage, researchers must remain in Europe. Creating the rightworking conditions to keep the best brains here is one of thegoals of the Marie Curie Actions, and one that the Eurythronpartners adopted as their own.Blood abstract pattern289