The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their significant discovery of microRNA and its critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. This prestigious award, announced from October 7 to 14, comes with a prize of 11 million Swedish crowns.

Background of the Laureates

Victor Ambros, born in 1953 in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1979. He conducted postdoctoral research at MIT from 1979 to 1985 and became a Principal Investigator at Harvard University in 1985. He served as a Professor at Dartmouth Medical School from 1992 to 2007 and currently holds the position of Silverman Professor of Natural Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA.

Gary Ruvkun, born in 1952 in Berkeley, California, USA, received his PhD from Harvard University in 1982. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at MIT from 1982 to 1985 before becoming a Principal Investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 1985. He is currently a Professor of Genetics there.

Understanding Gene Regulation
The information stored in our chromosomes acts like an instruction manual for every cell in the body. While all cells share the same chromosomes and genes, they display unique characteristics based on their type, such as muscle cells versus nerve cells.

The key to these differences lies in gene regulation, which allows cells to activate only the relevant instructions necessary for their function. This ensures that the correct genes are expressed in each cell type.

Ambros and Ruvkun's research focused on how various cell types develop. Their discovery of microRNA—a new class of small RNA molecules—has been pivotal in gene regulation. This groundbreaking work introduced a new principle of gene regulation that is essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. It is now known that the human genome encodes over one thousand microRNAs, revealing a new dimension to how gene regulation works. These molecules are vital for the development and functioning of organisms.

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