On October 7, 2024, two American scientists, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA. Dis microRNA be small molecules of RNA wey help control how cells behave and develop in multicellular organisms.
Ambros, who be professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, and Ruvkun, who be professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital, make dis discovery while dem dey work together as postdoctoral researchers in Massachusetts. Dem identify two mutant genes in worms, *lin-4* and *lin-14*, which lead to abnormal development in di worms.
Dem find out dat instead of producing proteins, di *lin-4* gene produce tiny snippets of RNA, now known as microRNAs. These microRNAs attach to di RNA made by di *lin-14* gene and block its protein production, leading to di worm’s abnormal development. Dis discovery open up new understanding of how genes be regulated after transcription.
According to di Nobel Committee, microRNAs be crucial for embryological development, normal cell physiology, and understanding diseases like cancer. About 1,000 microRNAs have been identified in humans, and dem be involved in many important cellular processes. Researchers dey test microRNA-based strategies to treat diseases like cancer and infectious diseases.
Ambros and Ruvkun’s work, though initially met with skepticism, has now become a cornerstone in di field of genetics and molecular biology. Dey will receive di Nobel Prize on December 10, marking di anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s passing.
