Human gene mapping, obesity treatment drugs, research on intestinal microflora, and cancer-causing genes are important discoveries but still “missed” the Nobel Prize.
On the afternoon of October 7, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Biomedicine will be awarded for great contributions to this field in recent years. The prize was established by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel more than a century ago to honor groundbreaking work.
Predicting who will win the top scientific honor is extremely difficult. The shortlist and nominees remain a secret, and documents revealing details of the selection process are sealed for 50 years.
However, there is no shortage of Nobel Prize-worthy discoveries. Experts have named 4 breakthroughs in the field of Biomedicine that have not yet received the prestigious call from Stockholm.
Human genetic map
The first map of the human genome is an often-discussed candidate for the Nobel Prize. The bold project was launched in 1990 and completed in 2003. Decoding the genes that shape human life involved the international community, including thousands of researchers in the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and China.
This effort has profound impacts on biology, medicine and many other fields. However, one reason the project may not have won a Nobel Prize is the large number of people involved.
According to rules established by Nobel in his 1895 will, the prize can only honor a maximum of three people per category. This is an increasing challenge due to the collaborative nature of scientific research.
Revolution in obesity treatment
One in eight people in the world is obese – this number has doubled since 1990. The development of blockbuster weight loss drugs that “mimic” the action of the hormone GLP-1 has rocked the medical community over the past few years. This is a hormone produced in the intestines, when nutrients enter this organ. GLP-1 plays an important role in controlling blood sugar, helping people feel full. Researchers believe that the reduction in appetite that occurs immediately after weight loss surgery is partly due to increased GLP-1 production.
Weight-loss drugs based on the GLP-1 hormone, which reduces blood sugar and curbs appetite, have the potential to usher in a new era for treating obesity and related conditions such as diabetes. type 2.
Three scientists – associate professor Svetlana Mojsov, Dr. Joel Habener and Lotte Bjerre Knudsen participated in the development of this drug. The drug, called semaglutide, won the 2024 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, often considered a “Nobel prediction” award.
Mojsov, a biochemist and research associate professor at Rockefeller University, and Habener, an endocrinologist and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, helped identify and synthesize GLP-1. Knudsen, chief scientific advisor for research and early development at Novo Nordisk, played a key role in making it the effective weight-loss promoting drug that millions of people use today.
The medal was awarded to the Nobel Laureate in Biomedicine in New York, USA, December 2020. Image: Reuters
Research on intestinal microflora
Trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi live on and in the human body, collectively known as the human microbiome.
With advances in gene sequencing over the past two decades, scientists have been able to better understand the activities of these bacteria, how they communicate with each other and interact with human cells, especially human cells. especially in the intestines. Dozens of diseases, including obesity, malnutrition, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and allergies, are linked to changes in the gut microbiome.
However, according to David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at the Clarivate Institute for Scientific Information, research in this field is long overdue for a Nobel Prize.
Biologist Dr. Jeffrey Gordon; Professor Robert J. Glaser at Washington University in St. Louis, was a pioneer in this field. Gordon’s efforts to understand the human gut microbiome and how it shapes health began with laboratory research on mice. He led the discovery that the gut microbiome plays an important role in malnutrition, affecting nearly 200 million children globally. Today, he is developing targeted food interventions to improve gut health.
Genes cause cancer
In the 1970s, scientists first discovered that cancer sometimes runs in families. But the popular conception of breast cancer does not take into account any genetic factors that cause the disease.
With a background in studying genetic differences between humans and chimpanzees, Mary-Claire King, currently a professor of medicine and genetic sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine, applied a new approach.
Working long before scientists mapped the human genome, King spent 17 years discovering and defining the role of BRCA1 gene mutations in breast and ovarian cancer.
This discovery has enabled genetic testing to identify women at higher risk of breast cancer as well as what steps to take to reduce the risk, such as further screening and prophylactic surgery.
From 1901 to present, the Nobel Committee has awarded a total of 113 Biomedical Prizes. The youngest person ever to win the prize was scientist Frederick G. Banting, honored at the age of 32, for his discovery of insulin. The oldest person is Peyton Rous for his work discovering tumor-causing viruses. He was named in 1966, at the age of 87.