2007 Noble Prize for Physiology and Physics announced

Oct 09: France's Albert Fert and German Peter Gruenberg shares the Noble prize for Physics

October is a month of for the chosen few who get recognition for their dedicated work in their respective field. Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been announced, as U.S. citizen Mario Capecchi and Oliver Smithies and Briton Sir Martin Evans will share the award for creating designer mouse to track the role of various genes in human development and disease.

Capecchi, 70, Oliver Smithies, 82, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Martin Evans, Director of the School of Biosciences and professor of mammalian genetics at Britain's Cardiff University, pioneered the technique of gene targeting in mice, the Nobel committee said on its citation. The approach allows scientists to disable, or ``knock out'' genes in order to determine their function.

The technology, which has made it to win the Noble prize, is known as gene targeting in mice. Using this technology the researchers can inactivate single genes or knocked out the gene, this change in gene causes changes in appearance, and other observable characteristics.

These knockout mice can provide valuable information and understanding of how a similar gene may cause or contribute to disease in humans. This process has shown the path to scientists to develop a model on mice, which will help them to study human disorder like cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and others. With the help of this technology scientist have produced over 500 different mouse models of human disorder.

Capecchi's research has uncovered the roles of genes involved in mammalian organ development and in the establishment of the body plan. His work has shed light on the causes of several human inborn malformations.

Evans applied gene targeting to develop mouse models for human diseases. He developed several models for the inherited human disease cystic fibrosis and has used these models to study disease mechanisms and to test the effects of gene therapy.

Smithies also used gene targeting to develop mouse models for inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis and the blood disease thalassemia. He has also developed numerous mouse models for common human diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.

But behind all these heroic deeds there is story of a child who grew up in adversity. Cepecchi wandered as a hungry child, who survived World War II. His mother found him starving in a hospital after being released from Nazi’s concentration camp.

He said ``you have to have good ideas, and you have to be able to carry them out,'' and added ``we gambled, and fortunately, the timing was right.''

The Noble Prizes for Physics

France's Albert Fert and German Peter Gruenberg won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for a discovery of giant magnetoresistance that lets billions of computer users store enormous amount of data on computer hard drives.

The other noble prizes to be announced are Chemistry on October 10, Literature on 11 th and Peace on 12 th and Economics on 15 th of this month.

Noble Prize has a history of Will

Alfred Noble left behind a will when he left this world on 10 December 1895, at his bequest Noble Prize for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace are awarded. The first award came in the year 1901. A Noble prize in Economics was added later in 1968, which was instituted by Swedish Central Bank. The first prize in economics was awarded in the year 1969.

With the exception of Peace Prize, which is given at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway while the other five awards are given during a formal ceremony at Stockholm City Hall.

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences elect the member for the committees that choose the awardees while Norwegian parliament elect the Norwegian Noble committee which choose the awardees for Noble Peace Prize.

The prize includes a Gold Medal, a citation and a cash prize of $1.5 million.

The man, who shares his name and dream to recognise the supreme work of various researchers in their respective area, was the inventor of dynamite. But later in his life he becomes uneasy with military use of his invention.

The highest award has also shared its part of controversies. Sometime for the strict rule to award not more then three people at once and sometime for ruling out posthumous award. Also omitting discoveries of similar field often fall into criticism.

Mahatma Gandhi, who failed to carve his name among the tall stature of noble laureates, was nominated for 5 times from 1937 to 1948. The indiscretion has been regretted by the Noble Committee and when the committee awarded Noble peace Prize to Dalai lama in 1989 it said “in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi“.

Some body has aptly said, “Noble Prize Money is a life belt thrown to a swimmer who has already reached to the shore in safety”, as the prize money which is needed to carry on the researches but it comes at a time when most of the scientist retires.

But still the awards add sheen to one’s work and are bestowed to recognise their supreme work in various subjects.

Surely it’s an approval and recognition of a rare achievement.