US Scientists Awarded 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for MicroRNA Discovery

The Nobel Assembly at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday to American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their pioneering discovery of microRNA and its pivotal role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

Ambros and Ruvkun uncovered a fundamental principle in gene activity regulation. They identified microRNA — a new class of small RNA molecules — which plays a crucial role in controlling gene expression. Their groundbreaking work revealed an entirely new mechanism of gene regulation that is critical for multicellular organisms, including humans.

Their research demonstrated that the human genome encodes over a thousand microRNAs, which are essential for the development and functioning of organisms. The Nobel Assembly noted, “While proteins in the nucleus regulate RNA transcription and splicing, microRNAs control the translation and degradation of mRNA in the cytoplasm.”

“This unexpected layer of post-transcriptional gene regulation is vital throughout animal development and for maintaining the function of adult cells, and is essential for the complexity of multicellular life,” the Academy added.

Ambros and Ruvkun will share a prize of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.1 million). Ambros, born in 1953 in New Hampshire, earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1979 and conducted postdoctoral research from 1979-1985 at the same institution. He currently serves as the Silverman Professor of Natural Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA.

Ruvkun, born in California in 1952, received his PhD from Harvard University in 1982. He is currently a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.

The prestigious Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded annually by the Nobel Assembly, composed of 50 professors at Karolinska Institutet. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of medicine for the benefit of humanity.