Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, prominent U.S. scientists, have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA and its critical role in the growth and development of multicellular organisms, the Nobel Committee announced on Monday.
The Nobel Assembly recognized the laureates for identifying a new class of tiny RNA molecules, known as microRNA, which are essential in gene regulation.
“Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans,” the assembly stated.
Their pioneering work sheds light on how cells differentiate into various types—such as muscle or nerve cells—despite all cells in an organism sharing the same genetic material. This discovery has revolutionized our understanding of how genes control life processes.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee for Physiology, recounted reaching out to Ruvkun early in the morning in the U.S. to inform him of the honor. “His wife answered the phone, and it took a while for him to come to the phone as he was very tired, but he was eventually very happy and enthusiastic,” Perlmann said during a press conference. Ambros had not yet been reached at the time of the announcement.
Ambros is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, while Ruvkun holds a professorship at Harvard Medical School and is also affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
First Nobel Prize of 2024
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, comes with a prize of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million). It is the first of the prestigious Nobel prizes awarded each year, with additional honors in fields such as literature, peace, and economics to follow in the coming days.
Established by the will of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prizes have recognized outstanding achievements in science, literature, and peace since 1901, with the prize in economics added later. The prizes are awarded by different institutions, with the peace prize being the only one presented in Oslo, a nod to the historical union between Sweden and Norway.
Notable past recipients of the Nobel Prize in Medicine include Ivan Pavlov in 1904 for his research on conditioned behavior and Alexander Fleming, who, along with his colleagues, was honored in 1945 for the discovery of penicillin. Last year’s prize went to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their contributions to the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Nobel prizes for science, literature, and economics will be presented in Stockholm on December 10th, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, followed by a grand banquet at Stockholm City Hall. A separate ceremony will take place in Oslo for the peace prize.
Source: Reuters
