::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

  The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute   awarded  the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine  jointly to  Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun  for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation This year’s Nobel Prize honors two scientists for their discovery of a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated. The information stored within our chromosomes can be likened to an instruction manual for all cells in our body. Every cell contains the same chromosomes, so every cell contains exactly the same set of genes and exactly the same set of instructions. Yet, different cell types, such as muscle and nerve cells, have very distinct characteristics. How do these differences arise? The answer lies in gene regulation, which allows each cell to select only the relevant instructions. This ensures that only the correct set of genes is active in each cell type. Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were interested in ho...