Meet Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun: 2024 Nobel Prize Winners in Medicine For mRNA Discovery

Stockholm: This year’s Nobel Prize honors two American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for ir discovery of a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated.

Who are Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun?

Victor Ambros was born in 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. He received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, in 1979 where he also did postdoctoral research 1979-1985. He became a Principal Investigator at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA in 1985.

He was Professor at Dartmouth Medical School from 1992-2007 and he is now Silverman Professor of Natural Science at 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 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, 1982-1985. He became a Principal Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 1985, where he is now Professor of Genetics.

Research Work On microRNA

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun American scientists who were interested in how different cell s develop. y discovered microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation. ir groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. It is now known that human genome codes for over one thousand microRNAs. ir surprising discovery revealed an entirely new dimension to gene regulation. MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.

Gene regulation by microRNA, first revealed by Ambros and Ruvkun, has been at work for hundreds of millions of years. This mechanism has enabled evolution of increasingly complex organisms. We know from genetic research that cells and tissues do not develop normally without microRNAs. Abnormal regulation by microRNA can contribute to cancer, and mutations in genes coding for microRNAs have been found in humans, causing conditions such as congenital hearing loss, eye and skeletal disorders. Mutations in one of proteins required for microRNA production result in DICER1 syndrome, a rare but severe syndrome linked to cancer in various organs and tissues.

Ambros and Ruvkun’s seminal discovery in small worm C. elegans was unexpected, and revealed a new dimension to gene regulation, essential for all complex life forms.

History Of Noble Prize

When Alfred Nobel, an inventor, entrepreneur, and businessman, died, his will stated that his riches would be used to reward those who contribute to benefit to humankind with ir work. Nobel prize would recognise remarkable contributions in domains in which he was most active during his lifetime: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace.

Every October, new Nobel Prizes and laureates are announced.