The Prize in Medicine and Physiology was awarded to American biologists, who were recognized by the Nobel Committee for their discovery of microRNA molecules. 

As conveyed by the Nobel Committee, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discovered microRNAs (miRNAs), a new class of small RNA molecules that play a key role in regulating gene activity. MicroRNAs are fundamentally important for the development and function of organisms, including – humans. 

The Nobel Committee’s justification states that “through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.”  

Victor R. Ambros is an American developmental biologist who discovered the first known microRNA (miRNA). He is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, USA. 

As a molecular biologist, Gary Bruce Ruvkun is affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. He discovered the mechanism by which lin-4, the first microRNA (miRNA) discovered by Victor Ambros, regulates the translation of informational target RNAs through imperfect base pairing. He also discovered a second miRNA (let-7) and determined that it is conserved throughout animal phylogeny, including in humans. 

Researchers in the fields of medicine and physiology were honored as the first among researchers from different scientific fields. The award is customarily given on the first Monday of the month, which this year fell on October 7. 

Last year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine were Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman. They were awarded for their work on technology enabling the creation of an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19.