Nobel Prize in Medicine: An illustrious award given to experts for the discovery of genes that can help detect ‘silent killer’ cancer

Two American scientists whose pioneering work helped discover genetic codes that could unlock early tests for deadly cancer were today awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were credited with finding microRNA, tiny genetic codes that control a wide range of bodily functions.

One application could ultimately be tests to diagnose certain cancers, because microRNA changes in certain diseases.

Every cell in the human body contains the same raw genetic information, locked up in our DNA.

But the pair’s work explained how bone cells, nerve cells, skin cells, white blood cells, heart cells and more each use that genetic code in different, highly specialized ways.

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were credited with finding microRNA, tiny genetic codes that control a host of bodily functions

The duo’s “groundbreaking discovery” has revolutionized medicine’s understanding of how our genes work in the human body, the Nobel meeting said. Pictured are Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun

The duo’s “groundbreaking discovery” has revolutionized medicine’s understanding of how our genes work in the human body, the Nobel meeting said.

It “revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms,” she added.

‘It is now known that the human genome codes for more than a thousand microRNAs.’

Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee, announced this year’s winner at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

He told the ceremony that he reached Professor Ruvkun by phone and woke him up early in the morning in the US.

His wife replied. It took a long time for him to get to the phone and he was very tired,” he said.

But in the end, Professor Ruvkun was happy and “very enthusiastic.” He had not yet reached Ambros.

Professor Ambrose is currently a professor of natural sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Professor Ruvkun is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.

Previous winners in this field include a series of famous researchers, most notably Alexander Fleming, who shared the prize for the discovery of penicillin in 1945.

The prizes carry a cash prize of 11 million Swedish krona (£810,000).

Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee, announced this year’s winner at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden

The money comes from a legacy from the prize’s creator, the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1896.

Last year the Medicine Prize went to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman whose pioneering work helped create mRNA Covid vaccines.

Before mRNA jabs were rolled out to millions of people around the world to protect them from Covid, such technology was considered experimental.

Researchers are now investigating whether it can help beat cancer and other diseases.

The Nobel season continues this week with the announcement of the winners of the Physics Prize tomorrow and the Chemistry Prize on Wednesday.

This will be followed by the long-awaited prizes for Literature on Thursday and Peace on Friday.

The Economics Prize will wrap things up on Monday, October 14.