Semenza grew up in Westchester County, New York and attended Washington Irving Intermediate School in Tarrytown, New York. He then attended Sleepy Hollow High School where he was a mid-fielder on the soccer team and graduated in 1974.[7] As an undergraduate at Harvard University, he studied medical genetics and mapped genes on chromosome 21.[7] For his MD-PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, he sequenced genes linked to the recessive genetic disorder, beta-thalassemia.[7][8][9] Semenza subsequently completed his Pediatrics residency at Duke University[10] before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.[7] Semenza became the founding director of the Vascular Program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering following his post-doctorate.[7]
Research
Illustration of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability
While a post-doctorate researcher at Johns Hopkins, Semenza evaluated gene expression in transgenic animals to determine how this affected the production of erythropoietin (EPO), known to be part of the means for the body to react to hypoxia, or low oxygen levels in the blood.[11] Semenza identified the gene sequences that expressed hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) proteins. Semenza's work showed that the HIF proteins consisted of two parts; HIF-1β, a stable base to most conditions, and HIF-1α that deteriorated when nominal oxygen levels were present. HIF-1α was further found essential to the EPO production process, as test subjects modified to be deficient in HIF-1α were found to have malformed blood vessels and decreased EPO levels. These HIF proteins were found across multiple test animals.[11] Semenza further found that HIF-1α overproduction could lead to cancer in other subjects.[11]
Semenza's research overlapped with that of William Kaelin and Peter J. Ratcliffe on determining the mechanism of oxygen detection in cells, and how EPO production is regulated by HIF and other factors. This has led to the development of drugs that help regulate these processes for patients with anaemia and kidney failure.[12]
Retractions
In 2011 Semenza retracted from Biochemical Journal one paper coauthored with Naoki Mori (and other collaborators), and in 2022 retracted four papers from PNAS according to Retraction Watch.[13] As of 2022, concerns about the integrity of images in 52 articles coauthored by Semenza have been raised on PubPeer. This has led to investigations by the journals where these articles appeared, resulting in many corrections, retractions and expressions of concern.[14]
In 2023, additional papers in PNAS[15] and Oncogene[16] were retracted.
As of 2024, Semenza has had 13 of his research papers retracted due to data falsification via improper manipulation and/or duplication of images.[17][18][19][20]
Personal life
Semenza is married to Laura Kasch-Semenza, whom he had met while at Johns Hopkins, and who currently operates one of the university's genotyping facilities.[7]
Awards
1989: Lucille P. Markey Scholar Award in Biomedical Science, Markey Trust[21]
^"2008 Elected Members". Association of American Physicians. December 20, 2019. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
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