TalkNobel Prize in Medicine Awarded for Genetic Discovery
Andrew Z. Fire of Stanford and Craig C. Mello of the University of Massachusettes Medical School wree awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine today. They discovered a process called RNA interference, which is a powerful way to “turn off” the effect of genes. Their discovery has opened the door for new ways to fight a wide range of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, hepatitis and AIDS.
The Nobel Prize website has a wonderful, illustrated explanation of why Fire and Mello’s discovery is so important: DNA - RNA - Protein
Read more about what the recipients and their colleagues are saying:
- Washington Post
- LA Times video of the recipients (top right corner of web page)
- Nature’s more detailed discussion
Congratulations, Andrew Fire and Craig Mello and all who worked with them on this groundbreaking research!
Update 10/5/06: more on how RNAi is affecting medical research from Reuters
Technorati Tags: nobel prize, medicine, rna interference, andrew z fire, craig c mello, genetics, gene expression
