US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA and its crucial role in gene regulation. The duo will share the prestigious prize sum of $1.1 million.
Ambros and Ruvkun’s research has significantly advanced our understanding of how multicellular organisms grow and develop. Their work elucidated the process by which cells specialize into different types, such as muscle and nerve cells, despite all cells containing the same genetic material. This discovery has profound implications for biology and medicine, shedding light on the mechanisms that drive cellular differentiation and development.
In an interview with Reuters, Ruvkun expressed the enormity of the achievement, comparing it to reaching “The Show” in Major League Baseball. Reflecting on his collaboration with Ambros, he described their partnership as being “joined at the hip for quite a while,” adding that Ambros is a “wonderful guy.” Ambros reciprocated the sentiment, expressing his happiness in sharing the award with “a great friend.”
The Nobel Assembly, responsible for selecting the laureates, praised Ambros and Ruvkun for discovering a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a vital role in gene regulation. The assembly highlighted that this discovery revealed a new principle of gene regulation essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
Ambros, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Ruvkun, a professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, initially discovered that certain microRNAs in roundworms govern the growth of organs and tissue. Their findings were initially dismissed as specific to the species. However, further research by Ruvkun’s team in 2000 demonstrated that this gene regulation mechanism is conserved across all animal life and has been relied upon for over 500 million years.
MicroRNA is involved in the process when single-strand messenger RNA (mRNA) is decoded and translated into proteins, which are the building blocks of all human and animal life. The discovery of microRNA added a new layer to our understanding of gene regulation, opening up new avenues for research and potential therapies.
Gunilla Karlsson Hedestam, a professor at the Karolinska Institute, noted that while last year’s Nobel Prize recognized the use of mRNA in COVID-19 vaccines, this year’s award acknowledges a fundamental leap in understanding with wide-reaching potential applications.
Ambros and Ruvkun’s discovery has provided crucial insights into the communication network among genes, enabling cells to generate various complex structures and functions. This pioneering work not only deepens our understanding of biological processes but also holds promise for future medical breakthroughs.
