Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun Awarded Nobel Prize for Groundbreaking Discovery of microRNA

 

American biologists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pivotal work on the discovery of microRNA, a major breakthrough in understanding how gene activity is regulated. The prestigious award, regarded as the pinnacle of scientific recognition, was announced by the Nobel Prize committee in Sweden on Monday, October 7.

The committee hailed their discovery as "groundbreaking," noting that it unveiled a new dimension in the regulation of genes. MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that play a crucial role in controlling gene expression, offering significant insights into how genetic information is managed within cells. Their research revealed that the human genome contains over 1,000 microRNAs, each playing an essential part in biological processes.

Ambros, currently a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Ruvkun, a genetics professor at Harvard Medical School, conducted much of their prize-winning research at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital. Their initial work involved studying a tiny roundworm, C. elegans, which served as a valuable model for understanding how complex organisms develop various specialized cells, such as muscle and nerve cells.

The Nobel committee explained that their discovery helps clarify how different types of cells, despite having the same genetic material, can develop distinct characteristics through selective gene regulation. "Every cell contains the same set of instructions, yet only the relevant instructions are activated in each cell type," the committee noted.

Ambros and Ruvkun’s work on gene regulation has provided a critical foundation for further genetic research. Their discovery joins the ranks of other groundbreaking scientific contributions, such as last year’s Nobel Prize awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their work on mRNA vaccines, which were key in the global fight against COVID-19.

The Nobel Prize includes a monetary reward of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1 million).