The Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to the Americans Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA, a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated which could lead to new ways of treating cancer.
The committee said their discovery is “proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function”.
Their research was based around the study of the make-up of a one millimetre-long roundworm, known as C.elegans, which despite being tiny possesses cell types such as nerves and muscles found in larger, more complex animals. Understanding the regulation of gene activity has been an important goal for decades, the jury said. If gene regulation goes awry, it can lead to serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or autoimmunity.
"Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans," the jury said. Mr Ambros, 70, performed the research that led to the pair winning the Nobel Prize in 1993 at Harvard University. He is currently a professor of natural science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Seven years later Mr Ruvkun’s research was performed at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he is a professor of genetics, said Thomas Perlmann, secretary general of the Nobel committee. "I was able to wake up Gary Ruvken," Mr Perlmann said. "He was very excited and happy. He was so enthusiastic and thrilled to be coming to Stockholm."
The groundbreaking findings on gene regulation, which allows each cell to select only relevant instructions, was first published in two articles in 1993. The jury said many trials into the treatments of cancer and kidney problems that use the research are currently in progress.
"The impact of understanding the basic functions is always the first step towards using this knowledge," they said. The committee's vice chair, Professor Olle Kämpe, said some tumours delete and mutate microRNAs, and it is hoped this knowledge will help in the search for treatment.
Dr Claire Fletcher, a lecturer in molecular oncology at Imperial College London, said microRNA provide genetic instructions to tell cells to make new proteins, and that there were two main areas where microRNA could be helpful: in developing drugs to treat diseases and in serving as biomarkers.
“MicroRNA alters how genes in the cell work,” she said. “If we take the example of cancer, we’ll have a particular gene working overtime, it might be mutated and working in overdrive. We can take a microRNA that we know alters the activity of that gene and we can deliver that particular microRNA to cancer cells to stop that mutated gene from having its effect.
"The majority of therapies we have at the moment are targeting proteins in cells. If we can intervene at the microRNA level, it opens up a whole new way of us developing medicines and us controlling the activity of genes whose levels might be altered in diseases.”
Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to the Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and the American Drew Weissman for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, which were vital in slowing the pandemic.
The prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million) from a bequest left by its creator, the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. The announcement launched this year’s Nobel prizes award season.
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 laureates are invited to receive their awards at ceremonies on December 10th, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
