The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation. Ambros, 70, is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School while Ruvkun, 72, is a professor at Harvard Medical School.
“Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.It is now known that the human genome codes for over one thousand microRNAs. Their surprising discovery revealed an entirely new dimension to gene regulation. MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function,” institute has said in an official statement.
Research on a small worm C. elegans led to the discovery of the microRNA. In 1993, the duo published unexpected findings describing a new level of gene regulation, which turned out to be highly significant and conserved throughout evolution.
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were postdoctoral fellows in the laboratory of Robert Horvitz, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002, alongside Sydney Brenner and John Sulston.
The pair will receive their prize, consisting of a diploma, a gold medal and a $1 million cheque, from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of scientist Alfred Nobel who created the prizes in his last will and testament.
What are microRNAs?
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. They have emerged as important biomarkers and therapeutic targets since they can influence various cellular processes, including development, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis.
miRNAs have potential use in diagnostics. Since they are involved in the regulation of genes associated with diseases, specific miRNAs can serve as biomarkers for various conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. In therapeutics, miRNAs offer promise as drug targets. Modulating miRNA activity can correct dysregulated gene expression associated with diseases. These approaches are currently being explored for treating cancer, fibrosis, and viral infections, including HIV and hepatitis.
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miRNAs are being studied for their role in personalized medicine, as they can help customize treatments based on the basis of miRNA profile, making the treatment more precise.
Last year, the medicine prize went to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for work on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that paved the way for Covid-19 vaccines.
(With inputs from AFP)
