Since the early 1990s, William G. Kaelin Jr., Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza have been working to understand how cells perceive and react to the availability of oxygen. Professor Josef Donnerer vividly explained the effects of changing the red blood cells in the body and talked about why EPO doping (illegal) or altitude training camps (legal) have been trying for years to improve high-performance sports. He also spoke about the medical consequences that base-knowledge research in this field could have.

A lively discussion followed, focusing on how cutting-edge medical research can influence everyday life and widespread diseases, such as heart attacks.

Last Presentation:

December 12: Vice-Rector Alberta Bonanni talks about the Nobel Prize in Physics and how exoplanets and sun-like stars behave. (Laureates: James Peebles; Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz)

Admission is free, Thursday at 6:00 pm in the Kepler Salon (Rathausgasse 3, 4020 Linz).