Giving anemia a boost with inhibitors of prolyl hydroxylase

There is much current interest in the development of inhibitors of the prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) enzymes that regulate the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF), which in turn stimulates the production of erythropoietin and ultimately red blood cells, as a treatment for anemia. A recent paper reports the synthesis and evaluation of a novel class of potent spirohydantoin-based pan-PHD inhibitors for this purpose. The paper is an exemplar of drug development from high-throughput screen to clinical candidate.