“I applaud these distinguished scientists,” said Pavel Kabat, Secretary-General of the Human Frontier Science Program. “Their research revolutionized our understanding of gene regulation and of how organisms develop and function. I am also thrilled to say that both Ruvkun and Ambros have been involved in HFSP research investigations, which are designed to drive discoveries of this magnitude.”
Indeed, since the inception of the Program 35 years ago, 30 HFSP awardees have won Nobel Prizes.
In 1991, Ruvkun was awarded an HFSP Research Grant to investigate gene regulation by assessing how homeobox genes function using the nematode C. elegans. This research showed in which cells and cell types specific homeobox genes were expressed, thus giving these cells their identity. Further, Ruvkun made a valuable contribution to the field by demonstrating these genes were universally found in all animals and plant groups.
Concurrent with this research, Ruvkun and his collaborator Ambros were also interested in how different cell types develop. They discovered microRNA, a new class of tiny genetic material, that dramatically changed the way scientists understood gene regulation. Their research uncovered insights on how microRNAs affect biological processes and how organisms develop, as well as how microRNAs regulate or silence gene expression and the impact on diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and many more intractable diseases.
Ruvkun is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and investigator at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Ambros is the Silverman Chair in Natural Sciences and professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester.
In addition to their groundbreaking discoveries, both scientists have helped train and foster the next generation of pioneering scientists by welcoming HFSP-supported postdoctoral researchers to their labs.