Most of the compounds stabilize the hypoxia-inducible transcription factors which activate the EPO gene. The compounds include oxo-glutarate competitors, but also simple ions such as cobalt(II) chloride.Inhalation of a xenon/oxygen mixture activates production of the transcription factor HIF-1-alpha, which leads to increased production of erythropoietin and improved performance. It has been used for this purpose in Russia since at least 2004. Cycling
Recombinant EPO is believed to have come into use in cycling about 1990. In theory, EPO use can increase VO2max by a significant amount, making it useful for endurance sports like cycling. Italian antidoping advocate Sandro Donati has claimed that the history of doping in cycling can be traced to the Italian Dr Francesco Conconi at the University of Ferrara. Conconi had worked on the idea of giving athletes transfusions of their own blood in the 1980s. Donati felt this work "opened the road to EPO . . . because blood doping was a trial to understand the role of EPO".Dr. Michele Ferrari, a former student and protege of Conconi, had a controversial interview mentioning the drug in 1994, just after his Gewiss-Ballan team had a remarkable performance in the La Flèche Wallonne race. Ferrari told lEquipe journalist Jean-Michel Rouet that EPO had no "fundamental" effect on performance and that if his riders used it, it would not "scandalize" himself.
In accordance with this decision, Tour organizers removed Armstrongs name and results from the races history.Witnesses testified that code words used for EPO included "Edgar", "Poe", "Edgar Allan Poe", and "Zumo" (Spanish for juice). Dynepo
Dynepo is the brand name for a form of EPO  developed by Shire Pharmaceuticals. The first development steps were performed by HMR and Aventis. Aventis obtained the license in Europe in 2002. The company expected to launch the product in Europe in 2006, although patents held by the American biotechnology company Amgen, Inc. may have precluded its sale in the United States.Dynepo was made in cultured human cells. It was therefore expected to have an authentic human form of sialic acid and other oligosaccharide residues. It was hoped that this would make a longer-acting product than existing brands. There were concerns that such production would also make Dynepo undetectable in the urine tests for EPO used, at that time, to detect doping by athletes. Dynepo was withdrawn from European markets on 17 February 2009, for commercial reasons. On July 1, 2009, professional cycling team Silence–Lotto announced that Thomas Dekker was tested positive for Dynepo on a test taken on December 24, 2007, while Dekker was riding for Rabobank. References
External links
 Media related to Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents at Wikimedia Commons
"Erythropoietin". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine. "Epoetin alfa". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine. "Epoetin beta". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine. "Darbepoetin Alfa". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine. "Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta".