The 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA and its essential role in gene regulation in multicellular organisms. Their groundbreaking work explained how cells specialize and develop into different types, despite containing the same set of genes. Ambros and Ruvkun conducted their research in the late 1980s while studying a roundworm’s microRNAs, initially thought to be species-specific until further research showed the mechanism was universal among animals. MicroRNA plays a key role in the translation of messenger RNA into proteins, the building blocks of life. The winners of the prize receive a sum of $1.1 million and were selected by the Nobel Assembly from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. The Nobel Prize, established in Alfred Nobel’s will, honors breakthroughs in various fields including science, literature, and peace. Past winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine include famous researchers like Ivan Pavlov and Alexander Fleming. Last year’s prize went to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their work on COVID-19 vaccines. The Nobel Prizes are presented in a ceremony on December 10th, followed by a banquet in Stockholm, with a separate ceremony for the peace prize in Oslo.
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