The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded.

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their work on "the discovery of microRNA and gene regulation." The winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine have been announced. American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on "the discovery of microRNA and gene regulation." Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who are interested in how different cell types develop, discovered microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a significant role in gene regulation. Thus, the two scientists revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation. It is known that the human genome encodes more than a thousand microRNAs.

WHO ARE AMBROS AND RUVKUN?

Victor R. Ambros was born in 1953 in New Hampshire, USA. He completed his undergraduate degree in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1975 and received his doctorate from the same university in 1979. Ambros has been working at the University of Massachusetts Medical School since 2008. Gary Ruvkun, born in 1952 in California, USA, completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1973. Ruvkun received his doctorate from Harvard University for his work on "bacterial nitrogen fixation genes." Ruvkun serves as a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to 68-year-old Hungarian-born scientist Katalin Kariko and 64-year-old American scientist Drew Weissman for their work that led to the development of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.

ABOUT THE NOBEL PRIZES

The Nobel Foundation, established on June 9, 1900, based on the will of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, awards prizes to those who have served humanity, and these prizes are considered among the most prestigious in the world. The Nobel Prizes are awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institute, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals or organizations deemed most successful in five categories: physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and medicine. In addition, the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was first awarded in 1969, following the decision of the Swedish Central Bank in 1968 to award a prize in economics in memory of Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Prizes are presented annually in a ceremony held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. However, there have been a few years since the inception of the awards in 1901 when they were not given. Most of the 49 cancellations of awards occurred during World War I and World War II. The award ceremonies could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.