The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2024 has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
“This year’s Nobel Prize focuses on the discovery of a vital regulatory mechanism used in cells to control gene activity. Genetic information flows from DNA to messenger RNA (mRNA), via a process called transcription, and then on to the cellular machinery for protein production. There, mRNAs are translated so that proteins are made according to the genetic instructions stored in DNA,” the Nobel Prize release read.
BREAKING NEWS
The 2024 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. pic.twitter.com/rg3iuN6pgY— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2024
Both Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were curious about how different cell types form. They discovered microRNAs, tiny RNA molecules that play a key role in gene regulation.
Their discovery introduced a new concept in gene regulation, now known to be crucial for multicellular organisms, including humans.
The human genome contains over a thousand microRNAs, which are essential for development and function.
The prestigious award is given annually by the Nobel Assembly. This year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine focussed on the discovery of mRNA.
Victor Ambros was born in 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. He earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1979 and continued there as a postdoctoral researcher until 1985.
He is currently the Silverman Professor of Natural Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA.
Gary Ruvkun was born in 1952 in Berkeley, California, USA. He received his PhD from Harvard University in 1982, followed by postdoctoral work at MIT from 1982 to 1985. In 1985, he became a Principal Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he is now a Professor of Genetics.
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The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Kariko, and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against Covid-19.
