Nobel Prize 2024: miRNA Discovery Awarded

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA (miRNA), a small RNA molecule that plays a crucial role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. This discovery has reshaped our understanding of gene control in multicellular organisms, including humans.

Every cell in the human body contains the same genetic information in its DNA, but gene regulation allows different types of cells—such as muscle and nerve cells—to exhibit unique characteristics. Ambros and Ruvkun identified microRNAs as key components in controlling which genes are turned on or off in cells. Their discovery has had profound implications for developmental biology and the understanding of gene regulation.

The Nobel Prize Committee stated, “This year’s award focuses on a vital regulatory mechanism that controls gene activity in cells. This discovery has been essential for our understanding of cellular development and function in multicellular organisms.”

Who are Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun?

Victor Ambros was born in 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. He earned his PhD from MIT and is currently a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Gary Ruvkun, born in 1952 in Berkeley, California, received his PhD from Harvard University and is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.

The Nobel Prize has been awarded since 1901 to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to humanity. Last year, the prize was awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their work on mRNA vaccines, which played a crucial role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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