Prize In Physiology Research Articles

Roger Sperry, the maverick brain scientist who was haunted by psyche

This paper describes the scientific figure of Roger Sperry as a maverick researcher, an original thinker who arrived at definitive notions about the working of the brain mostly by distancing himself from the prevalent views of his peers. After solving the riddle of the functions of the corpus callosum, he won a Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for identifying the different cognitive abilities of the disconnected right and left hemispheres of the human brain. He could have won another Nobel prize for his work on the prenatal formation of behavioral neuronal networks and their growth and development after birth. In the last part of his life, he fought a courageous but inconclusive battle for demonstrating that mental and spiritual factors can direct brain activity and behavior without violating the laws of orthodox neurophysiology. Some nodal points in his scientific career and some sources of inspirations for his thinking are identified and discussed within the historical background of the neurosciences of the twentieth century.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023 was awarded for discoveries concerning base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19

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TR(i)P Goes On: Auxiliary TRP Channel Subunits?

Transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channels are a diverse family of channels whose members play prominent roles as cellular sensors and effectors. The important role of TRP channels (and mechanosensitive piezo channels) in the complex interaction of our senses with the environment was underlined by the award of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to 2 pioneers in this field, David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian. There are many competent and comprehensive reviews on many aspects of the TRP channels, and there is no intention to expand on them. Rather, after an introduction to the nomenclature, the molecular architecture of native TRP channel/protein complexes in vivo will be summarized using TRP channels of the canonical transient receptor potential subfamily as an example. This molecular architecture provides the basis for the signatures of native canonical transient receptor potential currents and their control by endogenous modulators and potential drugs.

Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine 2023: Development of mRNA therapeutics that paved the path of formulation of COVID-19 vaccine

Since the concept of the vaccine was developed by Edward Jenner in 1796, vaccinology has traveled a long way with gradual improvement toward developing better methods of formulation of vaccines. In this premises in the 1990s, Karikó and Weissman joined their hands and minds aiming at understanding how different RNA species interact with the immune system. During their long journey in this direction, they performed extensive studies involving well-conceived molecular biology-based experiments that resulted in a breakthrough discovery relating to RNA therapeutics in general and messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics in particular. In this endeavor, they developed mRNA technology that actually paved the path leading to the development of mRNA vaccine that has many advantages. In December 2019, when the deadly virus SARS-CoV-2 emerged, which, in no time, caused a pandemic as well as an epidemic, thereby throwing a fierce challenge to the total healthcare systems worldwide, it was possible to take care of that challenge through the formulation and manufacturing on a large scale the mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 using the above technology. Thus, mRNA technology has created a strong platform that has spelled out a great promise toward controlling any pathogen infection and saving human life through the development of mRNA vaccine at a quick pace. In this short review, an attempt will be made to highlight the contributions of Karikó and Weissman and how they led the formulation of a vaccine against COVID-19, which fetched them the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology, 2023.

Disparities in funding for Nobel Prize awards in medicine and physiology across nationalities, races, and gender.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine has been awarded to numerous individuals for their outstanding contributions. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the Nobel Prize recipients, focusing on gender, race, and nationality. We observe that an alarming disparity emerges when we examine the underrepresentation of Black scientists among Nobel laureates. Furthermore, trends in nationalities show how Americans make up the majority of Nobel Prize winners, while there is a noticeable lack of gender and racial minority winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Together, this highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in scientific achievement. We offer suggestions and techniques, including funding opportunities and expanding nominators, to improve the gender, racial, and geographical diversity of Nobel Prizes.

Sleeping Beauty 2000: an evaluation index of leading and original literature based on the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Sleeping Beauty 2000: an evaluation index of leading and original literature based on the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

"All for One and One for All": The Secreted Heat Shock Protein gp96-Ig Based Vaccines.

It has been 50 years since Peter Charles Doherty and Rolf M Zinkernagel proposed the principle of "simultaneous dual recognition", according to which adaptive immune cells recognized "self" and "non-self" simultaneously to establish immunological efficacy. These two scientists shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this discovery. Their basic immunological principle became the foundation for the development of numerous vaccine approaches against infectious diseases and tumors, including promising strategies grounded on the use of recombinant gp96-Ig developed by our lab over the last two decades. In this review, we will highlight three major principles of the gp96-Ig vaccine strategy: (1) presentation of pathogenic antigens to T cells (specificity); (2) activation of innate immune responses (adjuvanticity); (3) priming of T cells to home to the epithelial compartments (mucosal immunity). In summary, we provide a paradigm for a vaccine approach that can be rapidly engineered and customized for any future pathogens that require induction of effective tissue-resident memory responses in epithelial tissues.

CREATIVITY AND ORIGINALITY ARE KEY ELEMENTS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH: RECENT ILLUSTRATION BY THE 2023 NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE TO KATALIN KARIKO AND DREW WEISSMAN

For at least a century, an often-debated topic is what is of primary importance to make breakthrough in biomedical research: originality/creativity or sophisticated methods/equipment. We present here a short historical overview arguing about the importance of creativity, originality, and persistence. Namely, the best living example of this is the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Drs. Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for the invention and development of mRNA-based vaccine against COVID-19. Katalin Kariko had a life-long obsession to use mRNA for cancer therapy, but when the structure of SARS-CoV-2 was announced, she shifted her interest to develop an mRNA-based vaccine against the new virus. But since the mRNA molecule is notoriously unstable and easily degraded if injected intracellularly, she teamed up with Dr. Weissman who was working on techniques to deliver mRNA molecules intracellularly. This creative teamwork with original ideas of vaccine development illustrates what other creative scientists, like Alexander Flemming, Hans Selye, Leon Popielski and James Black discovered in their fields. The sad part of the story is that only two of these scientists got the Nobel Prize.

The pivotal role of uridine modifications in the development of mRNA technology

In 2023, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their nucleoside base modifications research that later enabled mRNA vaccine development against COVID-19. This paper briefly reviews these achievements in the context of the development of mRNA technology and its enormous potential for medicine in the prevention of various infectious diseases and cancer treatment, including personalised therapies. Without a doubt, Karikó and Weissman's discoveries were vital in getting around one of the biggest problems with using mRNA molecules in real life: they had to be recognised by endosomal Toll-like receptors and the innate immune response that came after, causing exogenous mRNA molecules to have less translational activity and break down.. Although the Nobel Prize for Karikó and Weissman is fully justified, it must be stressed that mRNA technology would never unfold its potential for public health without a collective scientific effort encompassing over 40 years of research.

The key to practical application of mRNA technology: A brief analysis of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The key to practical application of mRNA technology: A brief analysis of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Tributaries of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and lessons learned.

Almost without exception, scientific breakthroughs are not epistemological orphans. Historians of science have developed a body of scholarship on this, and the cases arising in our era continue to confirm the phenomenon. The work by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman that proved foundational for the subsequent development of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 had its antecedent roots yet is also a striking example of both serendipity and their persistence. Their receipt of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was greatly deserved and, as Alfred Nobel likely envisioned the broad impact to be for all the prizes, affirms to the public at large that there is such a thing as the scientific method, and that there are such things as facts. The importance of society recognizing this has always been critically important, perhaps never more so than now.

Development of Human Papillomavirus and its Detection Methods

The 2008 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was respectively awarded to three scientists. One of them is a German scientist Harald zur Hausen

Theodor Kocher (1841-1917) and his outstanding contributions to surgery

Theodor Kocher (1841-1917), an exceptional Swiss surgeon who described a technique for the safe removal of enlarged thyroid unraveled the true function of this endocrine gland but also made significant contributions to many other fields of surgery. Kocher was the first surgeon awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1909 for his work on the physiology, pathology, and surgery of the thyroid gland. He was  professor and clinical director at Insel Hospital during 45 years. Kocher created the prominent Surgeon's School in Bern. He was the first president of the International Society of Surgery in 1903 and the founding president of the Swiss Society of Surgery in 1913.

From rejection to the Nobel Prize: Karikó and Weissman's pioneering work on mRNA vaccines, and the need for diversity and inclusion in translational immunology.

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were given the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their findings of nucleoside base modifications that lead to the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. This was a remarkable achievement, given that their initial manuscript was rejected by Nature and Science in 2005. The development of mRNA vaccines lagged for more than a decade for several reasons, including the lack of funding, the perceived risks of the technology, and the scepticism of many scientists. Furthermore, Karikó and Weissman's study appeared to be technical and difficult to understand. The COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, has shown the importance of mRNA vaccine technology. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death. The Nobel Prize for Karikó and Weissman highlights the importance of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion in translational immunology. We need to build a more inclusive scientific community, where scientists from all backgrounds are supported and their work is valued. This will result in more scientific breakthroughs and better healthcare for everyone.

Getting the message right: An interview with mRNA vaccine pioneer Katalin Karikó.

An interview with Katalin Karikó who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for her groundbreaking work on mRNA modifications that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines.

Ivermectin as a potential therapeutic strategy for glioma.

Ivermectin (IVM), a semi-synthetic macrolide parasiticide, has demonstrated considerable effectiveness in combating internal and external parasites, particularly nematodes and arthropods. Its remarkable ability to control parasites has earned it significant recognition, culminating in Satoshi Omura and William C. Campbell's receipt of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contributions to the development of IVM. In recent years, investigations have revealed that IVM possesses antitumor properties. It can suppress the growth of various cancer cells, including glioma, through a multitude of mechanisms such as selective targeting of tumor-specific proteins, inducing programmed cell death, and modulation of tumor-related signaling pathways. Hence, IVM holds tremendous potential as a novel anticancer drug. This review seeks to provide an overview of the underlying mechanisms that enable IVM's capacity to suppress glioma. Furthermore, it aims to elucidate the challenges and prospects associated with utilizing IVM as a new anticancer agent.

Nobel-Honored mRNA Tech Advancing Cancer Therapy.

The discovery of chemical alterations to mRNA, work recognized by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is helping to advance a new frontier of clinical-stage vaccines and therapeutic candidates for cancer.

Physical Aspects of 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: 2. The First Principle and Universality Class for Grid Cells in the Brain

The main purpose of this review article is to use the fluctuation theory of phase transitions for studying the process of the emergence of hexagonal grid cells in the brain (2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). Particular attention is paid to the application of the Feynman’s classification of three stages of the study of natural phenomena for: 1) a brief description of the experimental stage of the discovery of the hexagonal structures of grid cells in human and animal brains; 2) the theoretical stage of research on the hexagon formation in the physical system of Benard cells, as well as the neurophysiological system of grid cells, discovered by Edward Mozer and May-Britt Mozer; 3) the most important stage, which allows one to formulate the first principle of the emergence of grid cells in the brain and, generally speaking, the first principle for the hexagon formation in different objects of inanimate and living nature. Our original theoretical findings are the following: (a) Polyakov’s conformal invariance hypothesis is violated for a system of grid cells in the brain; (b) the system of grid cells in the brain belongs to the universality class including the 3D Ising model in a magnetic field, as well as a real classical liquid-vapor system;(c) to formulate the first principle for a reliable theoretical justification of the emergence of hexagonal grid cells in the brain, it is necessary to use the fluctuating part of Gibbs thermodynamic potential (the Ginzburg–Landau Hamiltonian) for a system with chemical (biochemical) reactions.

Nobel prize winners in metabolism history and diabetology

The 20th century was the time of large-scale discoveries and their widespread recognition. Metabolism studies and their role in living organisms deserve special attention. The chemical, physical, and biological metabolic reactions are the basis of life. Known details of these reactions are the key to understanding energy processes occurring in living organisms. Many scientists have devoted their scientific careers to the study different metabolic processes, and their most fundamental and landmark discoveries have been awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This award, the most iconic achievement for any scientist, has been given since the beginning of the 20th century for the most outstanding discoveries for all mankind. This review of the literature highlights the most important metabolic discoveries of the 20th century that have played a key role in understanding how all living organisms work: the catalytic conversion of glycogen (Cori cycle), the tricarboxylic acid cycle (Krebs cycle), and cholesterol and the role of adenohypophysis hormones in glucose metabolism.

RNA interference: from target validation to therapeutics

Generally, a new targeted medicine takes a long time, usually 5 to 15 years, from the discovery and validation of its target to its actual use in treating a disease. There is no doubt that steps such as target validation and target evaluation are essential in preclinical development of new drugs to ensure safety, bioavailability, and efficacy of the drug, and in the target validation phase, RNA interference (RNAi) is a very important method. RNAi drug has double-stranded RNA function, so the targeted mRNA of a specific gene sequence is degraded, its transcription process is abnormal, which leads to gene silencing, and related protein synthesis failure. RNAi technology could specifically shut off specific genes, and, it is a targeted drug with great potential. Therefore, RNAi technology can be used to treat some rare diseases, such as acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) in adults, by using drugs as carriers. In 1998, Andrew Fire and Craig C. Mello first defined the RNAi phenomenon and was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2006 for their discovery of RNAi and their outstanding contributions to the field of gene silencing. Since then, RNAi drugs have been studied by pharmaceutical scientists around the world, but many of the previous drugs have been stopped at the evaluation stage due to their chemical instability. Until October 2018, the worlds first RNAi drug (patisiran) was successfully marketed so that the RNAi drug development became popular again because of remarkable pesticide effect.