Japanese Scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi Wins 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Yoshinori Ohsumi, a Japanese scientist, received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for his important experiments with yeast that revealed a crucial function of the immune system. His experiments have shown that cells degrade and recycle parts of their components. According to a statement from the Nobel Prize committee, the discovery and understanding of this process, known as 'autophagy' or 'self-eating mechanism,' significantly contributes to a better understanding of diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, and type 2 diabetes. The statement also noted, 'Ohsumi's discoveries have led to a new paradigm in our understanding of how cells recycle their components.' The cash value of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the first prize to be announced, is 8 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to 933,000 dollars. Yoshinori Ohsumi, born in 1945 in Fukuoka, Japan, has been a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology since 2009. He told Japanese news agencies that he is 'very honored' to receive this award. In an interview with Japanese media, he stated, 'I always wanted to do something that others are not interested in. I concluded that the degradation of cells could be an interesting topic. I started my work from there.' Experts have described his research conducted in the 1990s as 'fundamental' and 'pioneering.' Part of his discoveries includes identifying genes that control autophagy. These findings are significant as they show what errors in gene function can lead to various diseases. David Rubinstein, a director at the Cambridge University Medical Research Centre, stated that Yoshinori Ohsumi has provided 'very important tools' to the global scientific community that help understand the role of autophagy disorders in the emergence of diseases such as cancer, infectious diseases, or Parkinson's disease. Krister Hög, a professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, told Reuters that this research has greatly contributed to understanding important processes in human body changes such as growth, aging, or serious illnesses. 'In the early stages of human growth, all body parts are constantly being rebuilt, leading to body growth. The body must eliminate old cells and components and create new structures. In old age, the body must remove parts of its structures, and autophagy is the system that does this.' 'If the function of this system, that is, the proteins and genes involved in the autophagy process, is disrupted, the body cannot cleanse itself of the remnants of this purification, resulting in the accumulation of these waste products in sick individuals.' The Nobel Prizes in the fields of science, literature, and peace have been awarded since 1901 based on the will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and a Swedish industrialist. In this context, the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to scientists from Sweden, Turkey, and the USA, while the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine went to three scientists from China, Japan, and the USA.