Nobel Prize in Medicine 2024: Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun's Discovery of MicroRNA
| Summary/Static | Details |
|---|---|
| Why in the news? | Nobel Prize in Medicine 2024 awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun. |
| Nobel Prize in Medicine 2024 | Jointly awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun. |
| Discovery | Discovery of microRNA (miRNA) and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. |
| Key Contribution | Identified how microRNA regulates gene expression by binding to messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing protein production. |
| Research Focus | Investigated gene regulation in C. elegans (roundworm), focusing on mutants lin-4 and lin-14. |
| Significance | Revealed a new layer of gene regulation essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. |
| MicroRNA Discovery | Small RNA molecules (microRNAs) regulate genes by interacting with mRNA to block protein production, affecting cell differentiation and function. |
| Victor Ambros | Born: 1953, Hanover, USA. PhD from MIT. Professor at University of Massachusetts Medical School. |
| Gary Ruvkun | Born: 1952, Berkeley, USA. PhD from Harvard University. Professor of Genetics at Massachusetts General Hospital. |
| About Nobel Prize | Established by Alfred Nobel (1895). Awarded for contributions that "confer the greatest benefit to humankind". |
| Prize Money | 2024 Nobel Prize value: SEK 11.0 million per full Nobel Prize. |