By Justin Stebbing, Anglia Ruskin University

Two Scientists, Victor Ambros UMASS Chan Medical School in the US) and Gary Ruvkun (Harvard Medical School in the US), have won the 2024 Nobel prize in medicine or physiology.

They received the prestigious award for discovering tiny molecules in our cells called microRNAs. This discovery has not only changed our understanding of how our bodies work, but opens up a whole new area of science as well. It even extends into new treatments.

These molecules, microRNAs, can be simply thought of as tiny controllers inside our cells, the building blocks of our bodies. They help decide which parts of our DNA, our own genetic material, should be active and which should be quiet.

Think of them as volume knobs for our genes, turning them up or down as needed. All our cells contain the same number of DNA letters called bases – there’s about 3 billion. These tiny little molecules themselves, in fact, help control which of those letters are on or off, how loud that volume switch is and, in doing so, how our own genes behave.

This is called gene regulation and is so important, helping cells decide what type of cell they should be. They also have lots of roles in hard-to-treat diseases such as cancer and neurological diseases such Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

MicroRNAs play crucial roles in our bodies throughout our lives. They guide our development from a single cell into a fully formed person with various organs and tissues.

As we grow and age, these tiny molecules continue to keep us healthy by fine-tuning our genes’ activity as needed. When microRNAs malfunction, it can lead to diseases such as cancer, which is why scientists are studying them to develop new treatments.

For more

https://theconversation.com/nobel-prize-in-medicine-awarded-for-discovery-of-micrornas-the-molecules-that-control-our-genes-240736