STOCKHOLM– The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded Monday to Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNAs, a fundamental principle governing the regulation of gene activity.
The Nobel Assembly said their discovery “proves to be of fundamental importance for the development and functioning of organisms.”
Ambrose performed the research that led to his award at Harvard University. He is currently a professor of natural sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Rackham’s research was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he is a professor of genetics, said Thomas Perlmann, secretary general of the Nobel committee.
Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman for their discoveries that led to the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, essential to slowing the pandemic.
The prize is endowed with a cash prize of 11 million Swedish crowns ($1 million) from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.
The announcement kicked off this year’s Nobel Prize season.
The Nobel announcements continue with the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences on October 14.
The winners are invited to receive their prizes during the ceremonies on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.
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Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands.
