Nobel Prize 2024: Winners in Physiology or Medicine
Photo: The winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology in 2024 (Getty Images)
On Monday, October 7, the Nobel Committee announced the winners of the annual prize in physiology or medicine. Scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun got the prize for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation, according to the Nobel Foundation.
About the winners
This year's Nobel Prize was awarded to two scientists for discovering microRNA molecules that regulate gene function. The information stored in our chromosomes can be compared to an instruction manual for all cells in our body. Each cell contains the same chromosomes and therefore contains the exact same set of genes and the exact same set of instructions.
However, different types of cells, such as muscle and nerve cells, have very different characteristics. The question arises as to how these differences appear. The answer lies in gene regulation, which allows each cell to select only the appropriate instructions. This ensures that only the correct set of genes is active in each cell type.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were interested in how different cell types develop. They discovered microRNAs, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation.
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Photo: Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (twitter.com/NobelPrize)
Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that proved to be important for multicellular organisms, including humans. The human genome encodes more than a thousand microRNAs.
The scientists' discovery revealed a whole new dimension of gene regulation. MicroRNAs turned out to be fundamentally important for the development and functioning of organisms.
Who became laureates in medicine last year
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is the highest award for scientific achievements in this field, which is annually awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
In 2023, the award was given to Katalin Karikó, a scientist from Hungary, and Drew Weissman, a PhD from the United States. They were awarded the prize for their contribution to the development of the Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer coronavirus vaccines.
The scientists have made a revolutionary contribution to the effective use of mRNA for vaccines that have saved millions of lives during the pandemic.
“Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times,” the Nobel Foundation said.
Nobel Week 2024
Nobel Week has started today, during which the winners of this prestigious award for 2024 will be announced. The prize has been awarded annually since 1901 for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peacekeeping. Since 1969, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel has been awarded.
The Nobel Prize was established following the will of the Swedish businessman, dynamite inventor and philanthropist Alfred Bernhard Nobel. He allocated his entire fortune (about 31.5 million Swedish kronor) to finance the international prize.
According to his will, the annual income from this inheritance is to be divided among the people who have served humanity the most in various fields in the previous year. This year's award is set at SEK 11 million.
Schedule of announcement of the winners
The winners of the Nobel Prize 2024 will be announced on October 7-14, namely
- October 7 - Physiology or Medicine,
- October 8 - Physics,
- October 9 - Chemistry,
- October 10 - Literature,
- October 11 - Peace,
- October 14 - Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
According to Western media, this year President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is once again the bookmakers' favorite for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, according to experts, he is unlikely to receive it, as he is the leader of a country at war.
Another favorite is the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison in February this year. But experts say that it is impossible to declare him a laureate, as the Nobel Prize is not given posthumously.
A total of 286 candidates were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Among the nominees are the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
