The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to two US scientists, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA, a previously unknown type of genetic switch that holds immense potential for medical breakthroughs. This captivating article explores how these tiny genetic switches work within our bodies, revolutionizing our understanding of gene regulation and paving the way for novel treatments and diagnostic tools.
Tackling Mysteries of Genetic Control
DNA is the same, and each cell in the human body has an instruction set However, those same cells can develop into any sort of tissue from brain cells to muscle cells. Gene regulation, the process governing this transformation in cells is home of microRNA.
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) has long been seen simply as the messenger that carries a gene’s instructions to the cell’s protein-making machines. Ambros and Ruvkun were both later awarded the Nobel Prize, having uncovered a new species of gene regulator that not even Hochster nor Doudna had ever noticed in their search: microRNA. The microRNA operates as a switch instead of a messenger, mechanically flicking other genes on and off. This was a level of manipulation of gene regulation that nobody had ever dreamt of, says Miska from Cambridge University. “We’d never realised this happened before in biology.”
MicroRNA : Evolutionary Perspective
It has been suggested that the discovery of microRNA may also be linked to the evolution of our species and its relationship to cancer. According to Miska, it is possible that some microRNAs influenced the evolution of differences between the human brain and those if other primates.
“MicroRNA regulation almost certainly has something to do with why the human brain is so different from that of other primates,” said Miska. While studying the human brain is difficult, this class of tiny genetic switches likely holds additional secrets about how these changes influenced our evolution and development in the past.
In addition, microRNAs are present not only in humans but throughout the animal theory including plants and certain viruses. This ubiquitous prevalence reflects the core critical functions of these genetic regulators across all forms of life.
Potential of miRNA-based Therapies
MicroRNA caught the researchers like a gold rush. To this day, there are no approved microRNA therapies or diagnostics in clinical use as resources of research on this area are still very numerous.
The war on cancer is one of the most hopeful places where this is happening. For example, some microRNAs function as tumor suppressors to prevent cells from dividing improperly, and other can drive cells to divide abnormally, which can result in cancer. Researchers believe by understanding and turning off these genetic switches they can create the new generation of treatments for cancer.asListultrasound tech schools
The other exciting implication of these findings is that many viruses use microRNAs and for this reason there has been a push in the development of antivirals, even as far back as hepatitis C. The stability factor, however remains an issue with microRNAs; still researchers are hopeful that further breakthroughs will translate into successful molecular therapies based on miRNAs.
