MicroRNA Discoverers Win Nobel: Pioneers of Genetic Communications

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering microRNA and illuminating its vital role in multicellular organism growth and specialization. Their groundbreaking work reveals gene regulation's essential principles. A earlier dismissed discovery in roundworms now informs about all animal life, crucial for disease understanding.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 08-10-2024 14:04 IST | Created: 08-10-2024 14:04 IST
MicroRNA Discoverers Win Nobel: Pioneers of Genetic Communications

In a landmark achievement, U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their revolutionary discovery of microRNA. Their research unveiled the vital role these tiny molecules play in the growth and specialization of multicellular organisms.

The Nobel Assembly highlighted the laureates' groundbreaking finding as a new principle in gene regulation, essential for organisms' survival. Ambros and Ruvkun's work began with roundworms, revealing evolutionary mechanisms over 500 million years. Initially dismissed, their research now provides critical insights into diseases.

Ambros, hailing from UMass Chan Medical School, and Ruvkun from Harvard Medical School, have significantly advanced the understanding of genetic expression. Their pioneering research underscores the potential for future applications, resonating well beyond their field of biomedicine.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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