2024 Nobel Prize In Medicine Goes To US Scientists For microRNA Discovery

U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA and its critical role in gene regulation, the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute announced on Monday.

The prestigious prize, which comes with a sum of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million), recognizes the groundbreaking work of Ambros and Ruvkun in identifying microRNAs—small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression by silencing specific messenger RNAs. This discovery has significantly advanced our understanding of molecular biology and the mechanisms that control gene function.

The Nobel Prize in Medicine is traditionally the first Nobel to be awarded each year, with the subsequent prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economics to follow. These prizes, established in the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, have been awarded since 1901 for exceptional contributions to science, literature, and peace.

The 2023 Medicine Nobel was awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their pioneering research that led to the development of mRNA vaccines, which were instrumental in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Past laureates of the Medicine Nobel include notable figures like Ivan Pavlov (1904) for his work on conditioned reflexes and Alexander Fleming (1945) for the discovery of penicillin.

The Nobel prizes, steeped in tradition, are presented each year on December 10th, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, in Stockholm. The Nobel Peace Prize, awarded separately in Oslo, also follows on the same day.

Reference From: www.ndtv.com