Nobel Prize In Medicine : Two American Scientists Emerge Winners

The 2024 Nobel Prize announcements began on Monday, October 7, recognizing ground-breaking contributions to humanity. The first prize in Physiology or medicine, went to a pair of American scientists; Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, for their discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. The announcement was made by Professor Thomas Perlmann, Secretary-General of the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute on 7, October 2024.
According to the press release from the institute, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were interested in how different cell types develop. They discovered microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation. 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. Their surprising discovery revealed an entirely new dimension to gene regulation. MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.
The research uncovered how these microRNAs influence cellular behaviour and contribute to various health challenges, including cancer and heart disease. As the understanding of these tiny regulators expands, so doe...