NYU physician-scientist traces oxygen metabolism to pediatric disease breakthrough

Michael Pacold’s basic research into how cells survive extreme oxygen scarcity uncovered a previously unknown human metabolic pathway — and, within two years, a compassionate use treatment for a rapidly declining child.

Pacold, a New York University radiation oncologist and metabolism researcher, won the Paul-Gallin Trailblazer Prize for Physician-Scientists last month for turning a fundamental question about tumor metabolism into a therapy for a rare, fatal pediatric mitochondrial disease...