The 2024 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNAs, tiny pieces of RNA that play a crucial role in regulating gene activity in animals and plants. This discovery has introduced a new mechanism of gene regulation, important for understanding embryological development, normal physiology, and diseases such as cancer.
Ambros and Ruvkun made this groundbreaking discovery while studying mutant strains of a nematode worm called Caenorhabditis elegans. Their work, which began in the 1980s, has since led to a deeper understanding of how microRNAs control gene activity by preventing the production of proteins encoded by specific genes.
MicroRNAs, which are around 20 base pairs long, bind to messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and lead to the breakdown of the mRNA, thus stopping protein production. While microRNAs primarily act within a cell, they can also be released by cells to control activity elsewhere in the body. This mechanism is not limited to individual organisms, as some disease-causing organisms and even symbiotic fungi have been found to release microRNAs for various purposes.
The work of Ambros and Ruvkun has paved the way for potential treatments based on microRNAs, as well as for diagnostic tools for certain medical conditions. Their initial discovery of microRNAs, specifically lin-4 and let-7, has sparked widespread interest and research in the field, leading to the discovery of many more microRNAs in various organisms.
Thomas Perlmann, the secretary-general of the Nobel assembly, expressed excitement about the award and the recipients' upcoming visit to Stockholm for the ceremony. This recognition follows the 2023 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine, which was awarded for the development of mRNA vaccines, highlighting the importance of RNA research in advancing medical science.