{"627288":{"#nid":"627288","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Nobel Nod for How Cells Sense, Adapt to Oxygen","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to William G. Kaelin Jr., Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe, and Gregg L. Semenza \u0026ldquo;for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.\u0026rdquo; Kaelin is a professor at Harvard Medical School. Ratcliffe is the director of clinical research at Francis Crick Institute in London. Semenza is a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMuch of the life on Earth that we humans experience uses oxygen to convert food \u0026ndash; carbohydrates, fats, and proteins \u0026ndash; into energy to drive life\u0026rsquo;s processes. In complex, multicellular organisms, including humans, cells in various tissues and organs experience different levels of oxygen, says Amit Reddi, an assistant professor in the School of Chemistry. \u0026ldquo;As a consequence, every cell must have the ability to sense oxygen and adapt metabolism to changes in oxygen levels.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKaelin, Ratcliffe, and Semenza contributed to figuring out exactly how cells sense and respond to oxygen. \u0026ldquo;Their work has had profound implications for modern medicine, including understanding and treating various cancers, where cells may no longer synchronize energy metabolism to oxygen levels, as well as a number of vascular diseases, where oxygen transport is no longer efficient,\u0026rdquo; Reddi says. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m thrilled for the new Nobel laureates.\u0026rdquo; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EReddi was an NIH Ruth L. Kirchstein postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University where Semenza is a faculty member. He says he often found inspiration from Semenza\u0026#39;s studies on oxygen sensing, which guided his thinking on new conceptual paradigms for how life copes with oxygen.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPart of Reddi\u0026rsquo;s research is related to how reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are all derived from oxygen, can themselves signal metabolic changes in cells. \u0026ldquo;Our work is focused on how certain ROS are made and how\u0026nbsp;they can be used to signal changes in metabolism and physiology,\u0026rdquo; Reddi says. \u0026ldquo;Because all ROS originate from oxygen, we believe that another layer of oxygen sensing is through the production and sensing of certain ROS.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Nobel Prize winners discovered how cells adapt to changes in oxygen level, particularly in low-oxygen conditions, says Young Jang, an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences. \u0026ldquo;Their discoveries laid the foundation for our understanding of how cells generate energy, make new blood cells, and how cancer cells grow.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJang\u0026rsquo;s research on stem cell metabolism and aging is directly related to oxygen sensing. Normally, mitochondria \u0026ndash; the powerhouse of the cell \u0026ndash; uses oxygen to generate ATP, the cell\u0026rsquo;s fuel. But in aged cells, regulation of oxygen is altered and mitochondria generate ROS. Excess ROS production and oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and DNA\/RNA are key culprits that cause cellular aging, Jang says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBriefly, Jang overlapped with Kaelin in Harvard. He recalls that Kaelin\u0026rsquo;s lab \u0026ldquo;was interested in knowing whether oxygen sensing and metabolic changes can be communicated from one organ to another.\u0026nbsp;He wanted to use parabiosis to test his idea.\u0026rdquo; Parabiosis is the physical joining of two individuals enabling cells, tissues, and organs to communicate through blood. It is another \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/592945\u0022\u003Eresearch area for Jang\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am very happy for Dr. Kaelin and his cowinners,\u0026rdquo; Jang says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers reflect on 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to William G. Kaelin Jr., Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe, and Gregg L. Semenza \u0026ldquo;for their discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability.\u0026rdquo; Georgia Tech assistant professors Amit Reddi and Young Jang reflect on the downstream effects of the award-winning work.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers reflect on 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine."}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2019-10-08 11:59:06","changed_gmt":"2019-10-08 14:40:10","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-10-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-10-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"627289":{"id":"627289","type":"image","title":"Winners of 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (Credit: Nobel Media)","body":null,"created":"1570536347","gmt_created":"2019-10-08 12:05:47","changed":"1570536347","gmt_changed":"2019-10-08 12:05:47","alt":"","file":{"fid":"238844","name":"Kaelin.Ratcliffe.Semenza.PNG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Kaelin.Ratcliffe.Semenza.PNG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Kaelin.Ratcliffe.Semenza.PNG","mime":"image\/png","size":618402,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Kaelin.Ratcliffe.Semenza.PNG?itok=bChpibSU"}},"620445":{"id":"620445","type":"image","title":"Amit Reddi","body":null,"created":"1555361121","gmt_created":"2019-04-15 20:45:21","changed":"1555361121","gmt_changed":"2019-04-15 20:45:21","alt":"","file":{"fid":"236243","name":"Amit Reddi.RH_.4x5.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Amit%20Reddi.RH_.4x5.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Amit%20Reddi.RH_.4x5.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":59779,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Amit%20Reddi.RH_.4x5.jpg?itok=A2dsLduT"}},"624593":{"id":"624593","type":"image","title":"Young Jang","body":null,"created":"1565903127","gmt_created":"2019-08-15 21:05:27","changed":"1565903127","gmt_changed":"2019-08-15 21:05:27","alt":"","file":{"fid":"237835","name":"Young Jang.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Young%20Jang.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Young%20Jang.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1215077,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Young%20Jang.png?itok=xs_9-sdp"}}},"media_ids":["627289","620445","624593"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"182605","name":"2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine"},{"id":"170324","name":"Amit Reddi"},{"id":"174815","name":"Young Jang"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}