IO VR PLAYER

Take a virtual ride inside the human body to learn about iron homeostasis and the damaging impact of excess iron from red blood cell transfusions.
Humans lack physiological mechanisms to excrete excess iron, and aside from losses due to menstruation, cell shedding and other bleeding, iron is not readily lost from the body. Accordingly, iron homeostasis must be tightly regulated. These mechanisms, regulating iron absorption, storage and transport, are elucidated as viewers tour the intestine and bloodstream. With chronic iron overload, excess iron can accumulate in key organs such as the heart and liver. Traveling inside individual cells the viewers will learn how excess iron from red blood cells can cause damage to biomolecules, such as DNA and proteins.