Ambros and Ruvkun Win 2024 Nobel Prize for 1993 Discovery of MicroRNA's Role in Gene Regulation

Oct 7, 2024, 09:54 AM

American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their 1993 discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. The Nobel Committee highlighted that their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation, essential for multicellular organisms, including humans. MicroRNA regulates approximately 30% of the genome, playing a crucial role in controlling gene activity within cells. By studying the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, Ambros and Ruvkun identified microRNA, a new class of tiny RNA molecules that have become fundamental to our understanding of gene regulation.