Two Americans Win 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine

The Nobel Committee announced on Monday that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to American doctors Victor Ambros and Gary Rifkin for their discovery of microRNA, a new class of small DNA molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene activity.

"This year's Nobel Prize rewards two scientists for discovering a fundamental principle governing the regulation of gene activity," the prize committee said in a statement, adding that "their pioneering discovery revealed an entirely new principle of gene regulation that has been shown to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans."

Last year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman for their discoveries that helped develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against Covid-19, which have been crucial in slowing the spread of the pandemic.

The medicine prize has been awarded 114 times to a total of 227 winners.

Only 13 women have been awarded the prize, which carries a cash value of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million) from the estate of the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.