Nobel Prize in medicine goes to two American biologists for work on the discovery of microRNA
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded for MicroRNA Discovery #
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to two US scientists for their groundbreaking work on the discovery of microRNA, a molecule that governs how cells in the body function.
The researchers’ work revealed how genes, which contain the instruction manual for life, give rise to different types of cells within the human body, a process known as gene regulation. The Nobel Prize committee praised this discovery as revealing an entirely new dimension to gene regulation.
MicroRNA, a family of molecules that helps cells control the sort of proteins they make, has been at work for hundreds of millions of years. This discovery is considered fundamental to understanding how cells work and how organisms develop, affecting nearly all fields of biology and medicine.
Understanding Cell Differentiation #
Every cell in our body contains the same chromosomes, and thus the same set of genes and instructions. However, different cell types, such as muscle and nerve cells, have distinct characteristics. The awarded scientists have spent their careers investigating how these differences arise.
The answer lies in gene regulation, which allows each cell to select only the relevant instructions. This ensures that only the correct set of genes is active in each cell type. Gene regulation by microRNA has aided the evolution of increasingly complex organisms.
Implications for Health and Disease #
If gene regulation goes awry, it can lead to cancer and other conditions found in humans and other animals, such as hearing loss and skeletal disorders. MicroRNAs are heavily implicated in cancer, and ongoing research aims to develop treatments that either mimic or block microRNA to treat cancer, although there are still technical hurdles to overcome.
From Discovery to Recognition #
The first microRNA was discovered in 1993 in a tiny 1 millimeter-long roundworm, C. elegans. Initially thought to be an oddity peculiar to this small worm, it was met with “deafening silence” and considered irrelevant to humans for over seven years.
The field exploded when another microRNA was discovered, which is now known to be present throughout the animal kingdom. Since then, tens of thousands of microRNAs have been identified in different organisms.
Future Potential #
MicroRNAs offer potential diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities in treating cancer and other diseases. Clinical trials are underway to utilize microRNA profiling for patient prognosis and clinical response.
This discovery has opened our eyes to the intricate machinery tightly controlling what happens in our cells, providing fundamental insights into cell function and organism development.
The Nobel Prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million).