Miguel Angel Layrisse Marrero, Venezuelan nutritionist and hematologist (Caracas 06 May 1919 – Caracas 22 February 2002)

Authored over 267 scientific papers and 7 books

Discovered Diego blood factor, the first practically confined to people of Mongoloid origin

With T. Arends & R. Domíguez Sisco. Nuevo grupo sanguíneo encontrado en descendientes de indios. Acta Med. Venez. 3:132, 1955

With Z. Layrisse, E. García, J. Wilbert & J.R. Parra. New Rh phenotype, Dcceⁱeⁱf, found  in a Chibcha Indian tribe. Nature 191:503-4, 1961

With T. Arends, M.L. Gallango, J. Wilbert & H.D. Heinen. Albumin Warao: new type of human alloalbuminemia Blood 33(3):414-20, 1969

With Z. Layrisse, M. Pulido Rodríguez & H.D. Heinen. LD homozygous cells in the Warao population: a possible new allele at the LD1 Locus within the main histocompatibility region in man. Tissue Antigen 6(4):326-34, 2008

First to describe hemolytic anaemia caused by Ancylostoma sp. 

With Z.M. Layrisse & P. Díez. La naturaleza y causa de la infección por anquilostomo. Primera descripción de la anemia hemolitica, de las anemias cronicas por deficiencia de hierro, con o sin infección, por anquilostomo. (1960s)  

Found that heme iron from meat increased the absorption of iron from other sources known as meat effect

With C. Martínez Torres & M. Roche. Effect of interaction of various foods on iron absorption. Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 21:1175, 1968

Provided the concept of intraluminal pools of heme iron and non-heme iron

With J.D. Cook, C. Martínez Torres, R. Walker, E. Monsen & C.A. Finch. Food iron absorption measured by an extrinsic tag. J. Clin. Invest. 51:805-15, 1972 

Described a new property of vitamin A that enhances iron absorption in foods

With M.N. García Casal, L. Solano, M.A. Barón et al. New property of vitamin A and beta-carotene on human iron absorption: effect on phytate and polyphenols as inhibitors of iron absorption. Arch. Latinoam. Nutr. 50(3):243-8, 2000

Methods

With C. Martínez Torres & J.M. Gonzalez. Determinación de la absorción total de hierro de la alimentación por metodos isotópicos

With C. Martínez Torres. Model for measuring dietary absorption of heme iron: test with a complete meal. Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 25:401-11, 1972

Papers in Science/Nature

With Z.M. Layrisse, H.D. Heinen & J. Wilbert. The histocompatibility system in the Warao Indians of Venezuela. Science 794:1135-8, 1976

With J. Wilbert. Absence of the Diego antigens, a genetic characteristic of early immigrants to South America. Science 134(3485):1077-8, 1961

With Z. Layrisse. Frequency of the new blood group antigen Js among South American Indians. Nature 184:640, 1959

With T. Arends & J. Wilbert. Peculiar distribution of the Diego factor among the Warao. Nature 181:118-9, 1958

With T. Arends. The Diego blood factor in Mongoloid populations. Nature 179:478-9, 1957

With T. Arends. The Diego blood factor in Chinese and Japanese. Nature 177:1083-4, 1956

With P. Levine, E.A. Robinson, T. Arends & R. Domínguez Sisco. The Diego blood factor. Nature 177:40, 1956 

With T. Arends. High incidence blood group found in Venezuelan Indians. Science 123:633, 1956

PATENTS

Ferroivic, an iron compound (1993)

Hematalaco, an automatic device for blood transfusion in newborn babies (1965)