Recently, two American scientists, Ardem Patapoultian and David Julius won the Nobel Medicine Prize for their findings on the receptors for touch and temperature. The research that they conducted individually which they began in the late 1990s and continued on in the 2000s. They did their research for looking for a new way to treat a variety of ailments which includes chronic pain.
A molecular biologist, Ardem Patapoultian, moved to the USA from Lebanon at the age of 18 and that is when he started going into studies for molecular biology. When he found out that he won the Nobel Prize, he did not know since the calls were blocked on his phone. They ended up calling his elderly father which is how the fantastic discovery was made that he won that prize.
He won the prize because of his research, which taught everyone to understand how cold, heat, and any mechanical force can trigger nerve impulses which is what helps you perceive and adapt to the world. The ability to sense touch, heat and cold is critical for your survival. Everyone takes these sensations for granted, but how are the nerve impulses triggered so that pressure and temperature can be perceived? That has been a question solved by the Nobel Prize laureates this year.
Now, let’s talk about David Julius as he was awarded because of his research using a compound in chili peppers, capsaicin. That is the element that causes you to have a burning sensation. He identified which nerve sensors in the skin were responding to the heat from the capsaicin.
The body creates heat as it is a response to inflammation and that is nature’s way of protecting the injured area so it can heal. What Julius did was go to a supermarket with his wife who is also a scientist. He looked at the aisles that had chili pepper sauces on them and wanted to once and for all solve how different chemicals cause the heat sensation.
Both Scientists Knew That Heat Receptors Were The Elephant In The Room
That means they knew that these touch receptors existed and knew they did something very different than the majority of other cells based on how they interact with each other and that is through chemicals. Julius is a professor at the University of California in San Francisco. Patapoutian, a professor at Scripps Research in California is the one who will share the check for the Nobel Prize which is for $10,000,000. However, this duo was not among the frontrunners that were speculated to win ahead of the big announcement.
What Are The Peace Prize Favorites?
The ones who pioneered RNA or mRNA technology which led to the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna as immune system researchers were the favorites. The 2020 award was handed out during the height of the pandemic and that was the first time the whole selection process was happening while COVID-19 was raging worldwide. Last year, the award went to three virologists who had discovered the Hepatitis C virus. There will be more announcements of who will win the award for some time as the prize for physics and chemistry will be coming up soon.
It will be interesting to see who wins the Nobel Peace Prize next year but only time will tell and whatever happens over the course of the next year will have a significant influence on who is chosen to win the award. One thing is for sure though, it is a remarkable achievement to be even nominated to win even if you were not to do so. These scientists should be honored and proud.
