Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to Two American Scientists for Discovery of MicroRNA

This year's Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, two American scientists, for their discovery of microRNA (small RNA) and its vital role in the growth and life of multicellular organisms. The Nobel Prize Committee announced this news on Monday, October 8, stating, "Their extraordinary discovery revealed entirely new principles of gene regulation that play a crucial role in the life of multicellular organisms, including humans." Victor Ambros is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Gary Ruvkun is a professor at Harvard Medical School. Their studies explain how genes take on special roles and transform into various types of body cells, such as nerve or muscle cells, even though all cells individually contain the same genes and guides for growth and survival. They began their postdoctoral studies in the 1980s in Robert Horvitz's laboratory, studying a one-millimeter-long nematode. Robert Horvitz received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2002. The results of their studies and their discovery regarding the guiding role of microRNA in the growth of tissues and organs in the nematode were initially dismissed with the argument that these were specific features of this organism. However, subsequent research by Gary Ruvkun and his colleagues in 2000 showed that the growth and life of all animal species over the past 500 million years relied on this same mechanism. After learning of his success, Gary Ruvkun told Reuters that receiving the Nobel is like the biggest sporting event. He referred to his long history of collaboration with Victor Ambros and their joint awards in previous years, saying, "It's as if our navels are connected. Our period of collaboration has been excellent; he is an extraordinary person." Victor Ambros confirmed his words, adding, "I am very pleased to receive the Nobel Prize jointly with Gary Ruvkun." The 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry was awarded to researchers in RNA and its role in producing COVID vaccines last year. MicroRNA essentially decodes a single-stranded messenger RNA and translates it into how proteins, the main building blocks of the body and life of all animals, including humans, are produced. Medical experts say this year's award recognizes a significant advancement in fundamental understanding of microRNA, which could potentially have numerous applications in the future and has already transformed our understanding of diseases such as epilepsy. The Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded by a special committee at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and its cash prize amounts to $1.1 million. As is customary each year, the first day of the week when Nobel Prize winners in various fields are announced is dedicated to the Medicine or Biology Prize. In the coming days, winners in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, and Literature, and finally the most important prize, the Nobel Peace Prize, will be announced. The awarding of these prizes began in 1901 based on the will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and a wealthy Swedish merchant. The Economics Prize was added to this collection several decades later. The Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2023 was awarded for paving the way for COVID vaccine production, which played a vital role in controlling the coronavirus pandemic, to Katalin Karikó, a Hungarian scientist, and her American collaborator Drew Weissman. The official Nobel Prize ceremony will be held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, at a lavish banquet in the Stockholm City Hall.