The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Gary Ruvkun from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. The duo has been recognized for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA and its critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
Their pioneering research has provided new insights into how cells, despite carrying the same DNA, produce distinct proteins essential for their specialized functions. For instance, nerve and muscle cells perform different roles while sharing the same genetic code. Ambros and Ruvkun’s work has revealed that microRNAs act as regulatory molecules that bind to messenger RNA (mRNA), preventing the translation of specific proteins. This discovery has significantly advanced our understanding of embryological development, cell physiology, and diseases like cancer.
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, announced the award, with the winners sharing a prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately £810,000). Their discovery has opened a new field of biology, shedding light on the sophisticated mechanisms that govern gene expression and regulation.
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