Small molecules and a big prize: MicroRNA research earns 2024 Nobel in Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 has been awarded to American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Their research has provided insight into how microRNAs regulate gene activity in cells, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
72-year-old Gary Ruvkun, specializing in molecular biology and genetics, is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the US Academy of Medicine, and the US National Academy of Sciences. Victor Ambros, also belongs to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences.
MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by binding to messenger RNAs (mRNAs) rather than coding for proteins. This mechanism enables cells to adjust which genes are active, therefore guaranteeing that only the required genes are produced in particular cell types, including neuron or muscle cells. The discovery revealed a fresh level of gene control essential for the correct growth and operation of multicellular life.
The research commenced in the 1990s, employing the small roundworm *C. elegans* as a model organism. Ambros identified a microRNA, lin-4, that regulates gene expression, while Ruvkun demonstrated that it functions by preventing protein production from its target mRNA. This new mechanism introduced a new layer of complexity to genetic science, challenging previous assumptions about gene regulation.
MicroRNAs are currently recognized to be crucial regulators in humans, with more than one thousand microRNAs having been identified.
Last year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for developing RNA vaccines that helped fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
