On December 10, 2024, Dr Gary Ruvkun received his Nobel Prize from His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden in an elaborate ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall.  Dr Ruvkun, Professor of Genetics and Hans-Herman Schoene Distinguished Investigator at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, is also a Vallee Visiting Professor.  In a delightful twist for the Vallee Foundation, Ruvkun was invited to step forward to receive his prize by a Vallee Scholar, Dr Rickard Sandberg of the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute. Comparing the beautiful concert hall to a human cell and the orchestra to our genetic information, Dr Sandberg highlighted the groundbreaking discovery of microRNAs, a new type of genetic "conductor" that regulates gene expression with precision.  Professor Gary Ruvkun and Professor Victor Ambros were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work on microRNAs. Their research has revealed how microRNAs control gene activity by binding to messenger RNA, significantly impacting our understanding of genetic regulation in all multicellular life.  

Dr Ruvkun's Nobel Lecture, Banquet Speech, a photo gallery and other information can be found on the Nobel Prize website.

(Gary Ruvkun – Photo gallery. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Wed. 11 Dec 2024.)