Nobel Conference in Karolinska Institute Awarded in 2024 Nobel Prize physiology or medicine union Victor Ambrose and Gary Rufkun in order to discover microRNAa new class of microRNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation. Ambrose, 70, is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Rufkun, 72, is a professor at Harvard Medical School.
“Their groundbreaking discovery reveals an entirely new principle of gene regulation that is critical for multicellular organisms, including humans. The human genome is now known to encode more than 1,000 microRNAs. Their surprising discovery reveals how genes A whole new dimension MicroRNA has been shown to be critical to the development and function of organisms,” the institute said in an official statement.
Research on small worms Nematodes led to the discovery of microRNA. In 1993, the pair published unexpected findings describing a new level of gene regulation that turned out to be important and conserved throughout evolution.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun are postdoctoral fellows in the laboratory of Robert Horvitz, a 2002 Nobel Prize winner with Sydney Brenner and John Sulston.
The two will receive the award, which includes a certificate, a gold medal and a $1 million check, from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the day the award was created The anniversary of the death of author and scientist Alfred Nobel in 1896 was included in his last will and testament.
What are microRNAs?
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. They have emerged as important biomarkers and therapeutic targets because they can influence a variety of cellular processes, including development, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis.
miRNAs have potential use in diagnostics. Because of their involvement in the regulation of disease-related genes, specific miRNAs can serve as biomarkers for a variety of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. In therapeutics, miRNAs hold promise as drug targets. Modulation of miRNA activity can correct disease-associated dysregulation of gene expression. These approaches are currently being explored to treat cancer, fibrosis and viral infections, including HIV and hepatitis.
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miRNAs are being studied for their role in personalized medicine because they can help tailor treatments based on miRNA profiles, making treatments more precise.
Last year, the Medicine Prize was awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, whose work on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology paved the way for Covid-19 vaccines.
(Information from AFP)
