Victor Ambros, one of the top scientists at UMass Chan Medical School, don win di 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, alongside his longtime collaborator Gary Ruvkun. Dem get dis award for their groundbreaking work on di discovery of microRNA, small RNA molecules wey dey control how genes dey express for multicellular organisms.
Ambros and Ruvkun start their research for di late 1980s when dem be postdoctoral fellows in di laboratory of H. Robert Horvitz at MIT. Dem study two mutant strains of di roundworm *Caenorhabditis elegans*, lin-4 and lin-14, wey show defects in di timing of genetic programs during development. Ambros discover say di lin-4 gene produce short RNA molecule instead of protein, and dis RNA molecule dey inhibit di expression of lin-14 gene by binding to its messenger RNA and blocking protein production.
Dis discovery, wey dem publish in 1993, reveal new principle of gene regulation wey be essential for complex life forms, including humans. Now, we know say human genome code for over 1000 microRNAs, and dem play crucial roles in developmental processes, cell physiology, and even in diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Ambros, wey be Silverman Chair in Natural Sciences and professor of molecular medicine at UMass Chan, don make significant contributions to RNA biology. He join UMass Chan in 2007 and continue his research on microRNA function and gene regulation. His work dey focus on understanding genetic and molecular mechanisms wey control cell division, differentiation, and morphogenesis in animals.
Di Nobel committee praise Ambros and Ruvkun for their curiosity and innovative research. Olle Kämpe, Nobel committee member, describe their discovery as ‘beautiful’ and highlight di importance of curiosity in research. Dem say di discovery show new dimension to gene regulation wey be essential for all complex life forms).
