Medicine Nobel for work on microRNA

Two Americans recognised for study of tiny pieces of genetic material which could lead to new ways of treating cancer

The Nobel Prize in physiology/medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, both Americans, for their discovery of microRNA which are tiny pieces of genetic material that alter how genes work at the cellular level and could lead to new ways of treating cancer.

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, which awarded the prize, said the duo's discovery is "proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function." "Their groundbreaking discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans," the assembly said in a statement explaining the importance of their work.