Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun Win Nobel Prize for Groundbreaking RNA Discovery

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA, a novel class of small RNA molecules that play a vital role in gene regulation. The Nobel Prize committee made the announcement on Monday in Sweden, recognizing their work carried out at the Karolinska Institutet.

Ambros and Ruvkun's groundbreaking research was conducted using the roundworm C. elegans, revealing a new mechanism of gene regulation. The Nobel Assembly highlighted that their discovery has significant implications for multicellular organisms, including humans, as microRNAs are essential for development and function across species.

In 1993, Ambros and Ruvkun published their findings, demonstrating an unexpected and fundamental level of gene control that has been conserved through evolution. The roundworm, though only 1 mm long, shares many cell types with more complex organisms, such as nerve and muscle cells, making it an ideal model for studying tissue development and differentiation.

The information encoded in our chromosomes serves as a blueprint for all cells in the body, containing identical sets of genes. However, gene regulation ensures that only the necessary instructions are activated in specific cell types. This precise control allows cells like nerve and muscle cells to develop their unique properties. Disruptions in gene regulation can lead to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders, making it a crucial area of study.

In the late 1980s, both Ambros and Ruvkun were postdoctoral researchers in Robert Horvitz's laboratory. Horvitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002, alongside Sydney Brenner and John Sulston, for related work in genetics.<...