October 2, 2006

scientists react to the announcement of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, 2006

The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine 2006 has gone to Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello for their discovery of RNA interference (RNAi).

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Dr Julie Ahringer of the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, said:

“This is very exciting news and a well-deserved prize. I can’t underestimate the impact of RNAi – it has really revolutionized biological research, allowing scientists to quickly assess the function of genes in all animals, from worms to humans. It also has significant therapeutic potential through its use in turning off disease causing genes.”

Professor Chris Higgins, Director of the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, London, said:

“The discovery of RNA-mediated gene silencing has revolutionized our understanding of the control of gene expression and development. Perhaps even more importantly, it provides a simple tool for manipulating gene expression in the laboratory, and with great promise for altering gene expression to treat diseases such as viral infections and cancer.”

John Sulston, former Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and joint winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 2002 for his work on the nematode worm C. elegans, said:

“I am absolutely delighted at the news of this incredibly well-deserved prize. On a personal note, I have known both for a long time – in Andy’s case, since he was a visitor to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.

“From the beginning, they have been consistently developing methods to introduce nucleic acids into organisms, starting with DNA and then going on to exploring the mechanisms by which RNA can modulate gene activity.

“They are both outstanding at chasing down the unexpected observation, which is the essence of scientific discovery.

“I am particularly pleased that this hugely important technology has emerged from fundamental research on the nematode.”

Professor Nick Hastie, Director of the MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh, said:

“This is wonderful news and a thoroughly deserved Nobel Prize. It is also one of the quickest recognitions of a discovery; to find this in 1998 and get a Nobel Prize in 2006 is remarkable. They have opened up a whole new area of biology, which was unsuspected before. This is how RNA molecules can regulate the expression of genes.

“It has been shown that this mechanism that has evolved through plants, worms, flies and humans, and may have developed as a defence mechanism against viruses and other pathogens. What is surprising is that it has been shown to have a regulatory role as well, for example in muscle development. Errors in the mechanism can lead to diabetes as well. This is a whole new way of understanding gene regulation. In addition, based on these findings, we now have the tools to test the function of all human genes.

“This process may also ultimately be useful for treating disease. RNA interference tools can inhibit the function of viruses and genes to treat disease. Many companies have already been set up to develop and produce these tools and to test new therapeutic approaches.”