Biography
Gary Bruce Ruvkun (born March 26, 1952) [ 1 ] is an American molecular biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School in Boston . [ 2 ] Ruvkun discovered the mechanism by which lin-4 , the first microRNA (miRNA) discovered by Victor Ambros , regulates the translation of target messenger RNAs via imperfect base-pairing to those targets, and discovered the second miRNA, let-7 , and that it is conserved across animal phylogeny, including in humans. These miRNA discoveries revealed a new world of RNA regulation at an unprecedented small size scale, and the mechanism of that regulation. Ruvkun also discovered many features of insulin-like signaling in the regulation of aging and metabolism . He was elected a Member of the American Philosophical Society in 2019. Ruvkun was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. [ 3 ] Education: University of California, Berkeley BA Harvard University PhD
About the Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Woodard Lasker (a medical research activist). The awards are sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels."
Quick Facts
- Award: Lasker Award - Basic Medical Research
- Added: 2026-02-07
- Source: Wikipedia
- Established: 1946
- Presented by: Lasker Foundation