Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to U.S. Scientists for microRNA Discovery
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their pioneering discovery of microRNA, a key regulator of gene expression first identified through roundworm research.
Published on April 10, 2025
American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun have been honored with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA. Their early work with roundworms in the late 1980s laid the foundation for understanding a key gene regulation mechanism that has been essential to animal life for over 500 million years.
The award, announced on October 7, 2024, recognizes how microRNAs control gene expression by blocking mRNA translation and triggering mRNA degradation. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of developmental biology but also paves the way for potential innovative therapies for diseases ranging from cancer to infectious conditions.