Two US scientists have been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of microRNA, tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation.
On Monday, the Nobel Assembly in Stockholm, Sweden, announced professor Victor Ambros of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and professor Gary Ruvkun of Harvard Medical School as the co-winners.
Working with a type of roundworm, the two scientists discovered that microRNA molecules regulate gene functions.
Their research has led to the discovery that microRNA also plays a crucial role in human gene regulation.
Subsequent research has found that abnormal regulation by microRNA can contribute to cancer, and lead to abnormalities in the development of internal organs and bones.
The Assembly said the pair’s groundbreaking discovery reveals a completely new principle of gene regulation that is essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. It also says microRNA is proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.
In 2008, the pair won the prestigious Lasker Award in the United States.