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David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, both US scientists win Nobel Prize for Medicine
Strong US scientists, David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian have won the Nobel Prize in the field of physiology or medicine. Both were cited for their discovery of receptors for temperature and touch.
Strong US scientists, David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian have won the Nobel Prize in the field of physiology or medicine. Both were cited for their discovery of receptors for temperature and touch.
More so, the winners, David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian were announced Monday by Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Committee.
They received the accolade for describing the mechanics of how humans perceive hot and cold and pressure through nerve impulses. Julius is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Patapoutian is a professor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.
“Our ability to sense heat, cold and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interaction with the world around us,” the Nobel Assembly said in a statement announcing the prize.
Patrik Ernfors of the Nobel Committee said Julius used capsaicin, the active component in chile peppers, to identify the nerve sensors that allow the skin to respond to heat.
Patapoutian found separate pressure-sensitive sensors in cells that respond to mechanical stimulation, he said.
“This really unlocks one of the secrets of nature,” said Perlmann. “It’s actually something that is crucial for our survival, so it’s a very important and profound discovery.”
Last year’s prize went to three scientists who discovered the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus, a breakthrough that led to cures for the deadly disease and tests to keep the scourge from spreading through blood banks.
Furthermore, the Nobel Committee explained that when Julius started studying why capsaicin induces a burning sensation, it was already known that the compound activates nerve cells causing pain — but how exactly that happens was an “unsolved riddle.”
However, the prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.
The prize is the first to be awarded this year. The other prizes are for outstanding work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics.
The seminal discoveries by this year’s #NobelPrize laureates in physiology or medicine have explained how heat, cold and touch can initiate signals in our nervous system. The identified ion channels are important for many physiological processes and disease conditions. pic.twitter.com/TxMTwSDHas
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 4, 2021