Role of the soluble erythropoietin receptor in the development of high-altitude excessive erythrocytosis and chronic mountain sickness in the Andes

Francisco is a physiologist with an interest in chronic mountain sickness and other high-altitude pathologies. His research is focused on the mechanisms, consequences and treatment of excessive erythrocytosis (EE), the hallmark of chronic mountain sickness. Why some high-altitude residents develop EE despite having similar blood erythropoietin concentration is still unclear. Francisco’s Fellowship aims to characterise the role of the soluble erythropoietin receptor (sEpoR) in the development of high-altitude EE. Given that sEpoR competes directly for erythropoietin with its membrane counterpart, changes in circulating sEpoR could modulate erythropoietin sensitivity and therefore a play a physiological role in the control of erythropoiesis.

This grant was awarded under the scheme's previous name of Training Fellowships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine.