Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, two US scientists, have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024 for their research on microRNA.

Their findings contribute to our understanding of the origins of sophisticated life on Earth and the diversity of tissues that make up the human body. MicroRNAs affect the way that genes—the blueprints for life—are regulated within living things, such as humans. A prize sum of 11 million ($1.06M) is divided among the winners.

The identical basic genetic information is encoded in each and every human cell and is stored in our DNA. The structure and function of the cells in the human body varies greatly, even though they all begin with the same genetic material.

Heart cells beat rhythmically, while nerve cells send forth electrical impulses that are different. A kidney cell removes urea from the circulation, whereas a liver cell is a metabolic powerhouse. White blood cells that make antibodies to fight infection have a distinct skill set than the light-sensing cells in the retina.

MicroRNA research and their ability to regulate the differential expression of genes in various tissues were initially identified by American scientists.

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden chooses the recipients of the prizes for medicine and physiology. They claimed that their revolutionary finding unveiled a novel theory of gene control that proved to be crucial for all multicellular creatures, including humans. The human genome is known to code for more than 1,000 microRNAs.

Since every cell in an organism would appear similar without the capacity to regulate gene expression, microRNAs discovery played a crucial role in the development of complex living forms.

MicroRNAs' aberrant control has been linked to cancer as well as a number of other illnesses, such as birth deformities and hearing loss.