Ambros, Ruvkun Win Nobel Prize in Medicine

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA and its crucial role in regulating gene activity. Their research unveiled a new dimension of gene regulation, essential for multicellular organisms, including humans, demonstrating how cells with identical genetic information can differentiate into various types. The Nobel Committee emphasized that this discovery has significant implications for understanding embryonic development and diseases, including cancer and genetic disorders. Conducted in the 1980s on the roundworm C. elegans, their work initially faced skepticism but has since been validated, revealing that humans have over 1,000 genes associated with microRNAs. Both scientists are recognized for their pioneering contributions to molecular biology, and they will receive their award on December 10 in Stockholm.