Yoshinori Ohsumi, a molecular biologist, has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is recognized for his astonishing work on autophagy and becomes the single winner who will collect 8 million Swedish kronor (US$940,000) for the Nobel Prize.
Autophagy is the process by which the cell digests and recycles its own components. Cells won’t survive without autophagy. The process can be used to remove deleterious proteins and organelles and to renew cells. Storming bacteria and viruses can also be kept off by autophagy.
Ohsumi used baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in 1990’s to identify genes that control how cells destroy their own contents.
The autophagy mechanism is remarkably important in medicine. Disruptions in autophagy have been linked to Parkinson’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Cancer and other disorders. Research is in progress to develop drugs that can affect the process.
The 71 year old biologist is currently serving at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Yokohama. HSC congratulate Yoshinori Ohsumi for his incredible accomplishment.
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