US Duo Wins Nobel Prize for MicroRNA Discovery

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Facts

  • On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, awarded US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering microRNA and its essential role in the growth and survival of multicellular organisms.[1]
  • Ambros and Ruvkun originally studied genes that regulate genetic development. The panel concluded that their study 'revealed a new dimension to gene regulation, essential for all complex life forms.'[2]
  • Ruvkun conducted his research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he currently teaches genetics. Ambros undertook his research at Harvard and is also now a professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.[3]
  • The Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine issued a statement outlining the two researchers' contributions and framed the importance of the discovery — stating that because all human cells have the same chromosomes, they share the same genes and set of instructions.[4][5]
  • Olle Kämpe, vice chair committee, remarked, 'The seminal discovery of microRNA has introduced a new and unexpected mechanism of gene regulation,' with implications for advancing knowledge about diseases such as cancer.[6]
  • Ambros and Ruvkun will share a cash award of 11M Swedish kronor ($1M) awarded to them at a ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.[7]

Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]ABC News, [3]Al Jazeera, [4]CNN, [5]NobelPrize.org, [6]Guardian and [7]France 24.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by NobelPrize.org and Nature. Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun's remarkable discovery of microRNA rightly earned them this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine. The two scientists have uncovered a new level of understanding in the development and function of multicellular organisms, including humans, with the potential to help further research about cancer and other diseases.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Axios and Harvard Public Health Magazine. While there are multiple microRNA studies aimed at treating cancer and other diseases, any potential applications are far away. This discovery is an important step, but as cancer rates continue to rise, the best approach is to focus on disease prevention strategies. Regrettably, treatment alone will never be enough.

Predictions