Nobel Prize For Two Americans In Medicine
US scientists David Julius and Artem Patagonian on 4/10/2021 won the Nobel Medicine Prize for discoveries on receptors for temperature and touch, the jury said. Their research is being used to develop treatments for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including chronic pain.
The two scientists won the Nobel Medicine Prize for discoveries on receptors for temperature and touch, the jury said. "The groundbreaking discoveries... by this year's Nobel Prize laureates have allowed us to understand how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate the nerve impulses that allow us to perceive and adapt to the world.
Their research being used to develop treatments for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including chronic pain.
Our ability to sense heat, cold and touch is essential for survival, the Nobel Committee explained, and underpins our interaction with the world around us.
"In our daily lives, we take these sensations for granted, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be perceived? This question has been solved by this year's Nobel Prize laureates.
Prior to the discoveries," our understanding of how the nervous system senses and interprets our environment still contained a fundamental unsolved question :how are temperature and mechanical stimuli converted into electrical impulses in the nervous system".
David Julius, 65 years young, was recognized for his research using capsaicin - a compound from chili peppers that induces a burning sensation - to identify which nerve sensors in the skin respond to heat. Artem Patagonian's pioneering discovery was identifying the class of nerve sensors that respond to touch.
"These breakthrough discoveries launched intense research activities leading to a rapid increase in our understanding of how our nervous system senses heat, cold and mechanical stimuli.
The 2021 Nobel for Medicine this year was awarded jointly to and David Julius and Artem Patagonian, both of the United States, “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.”
"Intensive ongoing research originating from this year’ Nobel Prize awarded discoveries focuses on elucidating their functions in a variety of physiological processes. This knowledge is being used to develop treatments for a range of disease conditions, including chronic pain.
The prizes for the other disciplines will follow in the days ahead. The prize for Physics is to be announced on Tuesday, Chemistry on Wednesday, Literature on Thursday and Peace on Friday. The prize for Economics will be announced on Monday, October 11.
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.
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 though blood banks.
The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine is awarded for discovery of major importance in life science or medicine. Discoveries that have changed the scientific paradigm and are of great benefit for humankind are awarded the prize. Lifetime achievements or scientific leadership cannot be considered for the prize.
Karolina Institute (now The Nobel Assembly at Karolina Institute) selects the winner.
Candidates eligible for the medicine prize are nominated by nominators who have received an invitation from the Nobel Committee to submit names for consideration. No one can nominate herself or himself.
Eligible nominations are then considered by the prize awardees, who make the final decision as to who will receive a Nobel Prize.
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