Gregg Semenza, the 2019 Nobel Prize winner, a paediatrician and professor of genetic medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, joined the students of GITAM (Deemed to be) University on Wednesday, in explaining the science behind ‘how the body ensures the cells receive oxygen.’
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Celebrating National Science Day, an honour in the discovery of ‘Raman Effect’ by Sir C.V. Raman, which won the Nobel Prize in 1930, Mr. Semenza presented his research work, of the hypoxia-inducible factor one (HIF-1), which plays a crucial role in regulating oxygen levels in the body, to the students. He emphasised the significance of the discovery in developing treatments for conditions such as anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease.
About 800 students from eight different schools listened to the professor, as he made the presentation and explained the importance of pursuing a career in science. He encouraged the students to take a systematic approach to problem-solving, and to seek out opportunities for early exposure to research in scientific laboratories.
Mr. Semenza, joined by former secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, S. Chandrashekhar and Pro Vice-Chancellor D.S. Rao, inaugurated the cell culture and the central instrument facility laboratories, later.