Nobel Prize 2024 In Medicine Awarded To Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun For Discovering miRNA

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA and its role in regulating gene expression after transcription.

The genetic material in our chromosomes functions like an instruction manual for all our cells. Although every cell contains the same genes, different types of cells, such as muscle and nerve cells, possess distinct characteristics. This is achieved through gene regulation, where each cell activates only the genes it requires.

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were intrigued by how various cell types develop. They discovered microRNAs, small RNA molecules that are critical in gene regulation. This discovery introduced a novel concept in gene regulation, now recognised as essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. The human genome is known to contain over a thousand microRNAs, which are vital for both development and function.

"This year's Nobel Prize highlights the discovery of a crucial regulatory mechanism utilised by cells to control gene activity. Genetic information passes from DNA to messenger RNA (mRNA) through a process called transcription, after which the cellular machinery translates mRNA, allowing proteins to be made according to the genetic instructions stored in DNA," the Nobel Prize statement explained.

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 remained there as a postdoctoral researcher until 1985. In 1985, he became a Principal Investigator at Harvard University. From 1992 to 2007, he was a Professor at Dartmouth Medical School and 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 completed his PhD at 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.

The prestigious award is presented annually by the Nobel Assembly, which comprises 50 professors at the Karolinska Institutet, and recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to medicine for the betterment of humanity.

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their discoveries related to nucleoside base modifications, which enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against Covid-19.

The announcement of the Nobel Prizes is a highly anticipated event every October, with committees in Stockholm and Oslo revealing the laureates.

Since its establishment in 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to scientists who have made the most important discoveries for the benefit of humanity.

When Alfred Nobel, the inventor, entrepreneur, and businessman, passed away, his will stated that his fortune should be used to reward "those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind."