The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded the prestigious 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their revolutionary discovery of microRNA and its critical role in gene regulation. Their groundbreaking work has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of how cells function and has opened up new avenues for medical research.
The human genome, a complex blueprint for life, contains billions of instructions encoded in DNA. These instructions determine the development and function of every cell in our bodies. However, the mere presence of genetic information is not enough; it must be carefully regulated to ensure that the right genes are turned on or off at the right time and in the right place.
Ambros and Ruvkun, working independently in the late 1980s, were studying the development of a tiny roundworm, C. elegans. Their research led them to a surprising discovery: a new class of tiny RNA molecules, called microRNAs, that play a crucial role in controlling gene activity.
These microRNAs act like tiny switches, turning genes on or off by binding to specific sequences of messenger RNA (mRNA), the molecules that carry genetic information from DNA to the protein-making machinery of the cell.
The discovery of microRNAs was a paradigm shift in our understanding of gene regulation. It revealed a previously unknown level of complexity and precision in how cells control their behaviour. MicroRNAs are now known to be essential for a wide range of biological processes, including development, cell differentiation, and disease.
Implications for human health
The implications of Ambros and Ruvkun’s work for human health are profound. Dysregulation of microRNAs has been implicated in various diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.
By understanding how microRNAs function, scientists are developing new strategies to target these molecules for therapeutic purposes. For example, researchers are exploring the possibility of using microRNAs to treat cancer by suppressing the growth of tumor cells or to correct genetic defects.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is a testament to the groundbreaking work of Ambros and Ruvkun. Their discovery of microRNAs has had a profound impact on the field of biology and has opened up exciting new avenues for medical research.
As we continue to unravel the mysteries of gene regulation, the insights gained from their work will undoubtedly lead to significant advances in our understanding and treatment of human diseases.
Victor Ambros was born in 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, in 1979 where he also did postdoctoral research from 1979 to 1985. He became a Principal Investigator at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA in 1985.
He was a Professor at Dartmouth Medical School from 1992-2007 and he is now Silverman Professor of Natural Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Gary Ruvkun was born in Berkeley, California, USA in 1952. He received his PhD from Harvard University in 1982. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, from 1982 to 1985.
He became a Principal Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 1985, where he is now a Professor of Genetics.