Achievements
Professor Victor R. Ambros, an American molecular biologist, is recognized as one of the most outstanding researchers in the field of gene regulation and molecular biology.
His groundbreaking discoveries of microRNA (miRNA) have changed the way we understand the mechanisms of regulation of gene expression, which has had a significant impact on biology, genetics, and medicine.
In 2024, Victor R. Ambros was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with Gary Ruvkun for his pioneering research on microRNAs and their role in the development of organisms and gene regulation.
The most important scientific achievements
- Discovery of microRNA (1993) - during a nematode study, Caenorhabditis elegans discovered the first microRNA (lin-4) that regulates gene expression by binding to complementary sequences in mRNA. This discovery revealed a new mechanism for gene regulation at the post-transcriptional level.
- Discovery of let-7 (2000) - together with the team identified let-7, the second microRNA that regulates developmental genes in nematodes. Let-7 was the first microRNA also found in humans and other animals, demonstrating the evolutionary conservatism of miRNA.
- Contributions to genetics and epigenetics have proven the key role of microRNAs in cell differentiation, cell cycle regulation, and nervous system development. His research has shown a link between microRNAs and diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Development of research methodology - developed techniques for the detection and analysis of microRNAs, which are currently standard in molecular biology research.
The most important awards and distinctions
- Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine (2024)
- Lasker Prize (2008)
- Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2015)
- Gruber Prize in Genetics (2006)
- Keio Prize in Medicine (2014)
Bibliometric data
Number of citations: 40 638 (WoS), 45 224 (Scopus), 70 419 (GS)
The Hirsch Index: 50 (WoS), 57 (Scopus), 70 (GS)
The most cited publications (each cited more than 10 000 times):
Lee, Rosalind C., Rhonda L. Feinbaum, and Victor Ambros. „The C. elegans heterochronous gene lin-4 encoders small RNAs with antisense complementarity to lin-14.” Cell 75.5 (1993): 843- 854.
Ambros, Victor. „The functions of animal microRNAs.” Nature 431.7006 (2004): 350- 355.
Summary
Victor R. Ambros laid the foundations for understanding molecular mechanisms of gene regulation, paving the way for new treatments for genetic and cancer diseases.
His discoveries are of fundamental importance in molecular biology and medicine, making him one of the most influential scientists of the 21st century.
