Nobel Prize 2024 In Medicine Goes To Victor Ambros And Gary Ruvkun For Discovery Of MicroRNA

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA, a molecule that plays a crucial role in gene regulation after transcription.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 has been awarded to US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their pioneering research on microRNA, a discovery that has significantly enhanced our understanding of gene regulation in multicellular organisms.

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, announced the award, stating: "Their ground-breaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. It is now known that the human genome codes for over one thousand microRNAs", CNN reported.

About US scientists Victor Ambros & Gary Ruvkun

Victor Ambros, born in 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, completed his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1979 and conducted postdoctoral research there until 1985. He became a Principal Investigator at Harvard University in 1985 and served as a professor at Dartmouth Medical School from 1992 to 2007. He currently holds the position of Silverman Professor of Natural Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Gary Ruvkun, born in 1952 in Berkeley, California, USA, received his PhD from Harvard University in 1982 and completed postdoctoral research at MIT from 1982 to 1985. He became a Principal Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 1985, where he is now a Professor of Genetics.

The discovery of microRNAs has unveiled a critical mechanism by which cells control gene activity. This regulation ensures that only the necessary genes are active in each type of cell, allowing muscle cells, nerve cells, and other cell types to perform their specialised functions. This precise control of gene expression is crucial for the development and adaptability of organisms, and errors in this process can lead to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmunity.

Ambros and Ruvkun's research has expanded the understanding of gene regulation, particularly in how microRNAs influence post-transcriptional gene regulation—where genetic information flows from DNA to messenger RNA (mRNA) and then directs protein production.

Their work has provided valuable insight into how the same genetic information within human DNA can give rise to a wide variety of specialised cells, including bone, nerve, skin, and heart cells. This breakthrough helps explain the intricate process by which these different tissues develop, despite containing identical genetic material.

Nobel Prize In Medicine

The two scientists will share a prize fund of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately £810,000), marking a significant achievement in the field of genetics. This award is the 115th Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and the pair join the ranks of 229 previous recipients, of whom only 13 have been women.

In 2023, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Hungarian-American biochemist Katalin Karikó and American immunologist Drew Weissman for their work on mRNA technology, which played a pivotal role in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Nobel announcements for 2024 will continue throughout the week, with the physics award set for Tuesday, followed by chemistry on Wednesday. The Nobel laureates will receive their awards during a formal ceremony in Sweden in December.