Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suffer from anemia characterised by low erythrocyte counts and reduced serum erythropoietin (EPO). Recombinant human EPO is an approved treatment for CKD patients with anemia, but treatment with this biologic has several caveats, and there has been a lack of experimental models in which new treatments can be tested. Zeigler et al. now report on a new Epo conditional-knockout mouse with a moderate anemic phenotype that recapitulates that of CKD patients. Because these mice do not exhibit the abnormal kidney function or inflammation observed in CKD patients, this will be a useful model for studying erythropoiesis under EPO-limiting conditions in the absence of secondary complications.
2010
