American scientists Victor Ambrosen and Gary Rufkun won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of microRNA (microRNA), and its important role in how multicellular organisms grow and to stay
The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded last year to scientists who discovered how to manipulate a type of ribonucleic acid, called messenger RNA, or mRNA, which is now used to make vaccines. done for Covid-19.
MicroRNA is a new class of RNA molecules that act as on-line switches inside cells that help control what cells do and when they do it.
This discovery helped explain how cells specialize and develop into different types, such as muscle and nerve cells, even though all cells in humans contain the same set of genes and receiving the same signals for growth and survival.
The Nobel Assembly said in a statement explaining the work of “microRNA” that the information stored within our chromosomes can be compared to an instruction manual for every cell in the body.
Each cell contains the same chromosomes, so each cell contains the same set of genes and the same set of instructions.
However, different cell types, such as muscle and nerve cells, have specific characteristics, and the reason for this is the way in which genes are regulated, which allows each cell to choose exactly the appropriate direction.
This ensures that only the correct set of genes are active in each cell type. This allows, for example, muscle cells, gut cells, and different types of neurons to perform their specific functions.
If the regulation of genes goes wrong, it can lead to serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes or autoimmune diseases. Therefore, understanding the regulation of gene activity has been a goal of scientists for decades.
Ambros and Rovkun were interested in how different types of cells develop, and they discovered this acid responsible for gene regulation, which turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.
The two scientists first discovered this acid in worms, aiming to find out why certain types of cells did not develop in two types of mutant worms.
The Nobel Committee said: “Their innovative discovery revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation, which turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.”
The Associated Press says that if scientists understand how cells work, and can better manipulate them, this could one day lead to powerful treatments for diseases such as cancer.
Dr Claire Fletcher, a lecturer in molecular oncology at Imperial College London, said the study of microRNA has opened the door to ways of treating diseases such as cancer, as it helps regulate how genes work. in our cells.
Eric Miska, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge, said that the discovery was a big surprise, because it cost everything that scientists had understood for a long time about how cells worked.
Miska explained that there are currently studies on the role of this acid in infectious diseases, such as hepatitis, and in the treatment of neurological diseases.
Fletcher pointed to studies on its use in treating skin cancer, but the drug has not yet been approved. She expected this to happen in the years to come.
“If we can intervene at the microRNA level, it will open up a whole new way of drug development,” she said.
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2024-10-07 19:21:15
