Erythropoietin: clinical applications.

The last few years have seen an enormous increase in our knowledge on the haematopoietic growth factor erythropoietin (Epo), firstly with its purification and determination of its primary amino acid sequence, and more recently with the isolation of the Epo gene and its expression in mammalian cell lines. This review article summarizes the crucial biological features of Epo and critically examines the main results obtained in clinical trials on humans.