Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun's remarkable discovery of microRNA earned them this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine. They found a new class of small RNA molecules that play an important function in gene regulation. The two scientists have uncovered a new level of understanding in the development and function of multicellular organisms, including humans.
The recognition of microRNAs with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine was an unexpected yet welcome development for some researchers, given that microRNA therapies remain in their early stages. The Nobel Committee awarded the Medicine Prize in 2006 for the discovery of small interfering RNAs, which control genes through an alternative mechanism, following the identification of microRNAs. Researchers hope to eventually use these master regulators for disease detection and treatment.