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Two Americans have won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of genetic material called microRNA.
两名美国人因发现了名为microRNA的遗传物质而获得2024年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。
Victor Ambros is a professor at the University of Massachusetts and Gary Ruvkun is a Harvard University professor.
维克多·安布罗斯是马萨诸塞大学的教授，加里·鲁夫昆是哈佛大学的教授。
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, a group of 50 professors, decided to award the two for identifying genetic molecules that help control how genes work.
卡罗林斯卡研究所的诺贝尔大会由50名教授组成，他们决定奖励这两位教授，表彰他们发现了有助于控制基因运作的基因分子。
The Nobel Assembly said the discovery is “proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.”
诺贝尔奖大会表示，这一发现“被证明对生物体的发育和功能具有根本性的重要意义。”
In explaining the importance of the work, the group said it “revealed a completely new principle of gene regulation that turned out to be essential for multicellular organisms, including humans.”
在解释这项工作的重要性时，该小组表示，它“揭示了一种全新的基因调控原则，事实证明，这对包括人类在内的多细胞生物体是必不可少的。”
RNA takes genetic information from DNA through a process called transcription.
RNA通过一种称为转录的过程从DNA中获取遗传信息。
RNA then becomes involved in protein production or other activities within the cell.
然后，RNA参与蛋白质的生产或细胞内的其他活动。
Ambros and Ruvkun found that microRNA, or very short chains of molecules, are needed for normal genetic development.
安布罗斯和鲁夫昆发现，正常的遗传发育需要microRNA，即非常短的分子链。
The committee said changes in the way that microRNA functions can lead to major genetic changes, or mutations, over time.
该委员会表示，随着时间的推移，microRNA功能的变化可能会导致重大的基因变化或突变。
Nobel’s website said the changes can lead to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and autoimmune diseases.
诺贝尔的网站说，这些变化可能会导致癌症、糖尿病和自身免疫性疾病等疾病。
Ambros carried out research that helped lead to the discovery at Harvard University.
安布罗斯进行的研究帮助哈佛大学发现了这一点。
Ruvkun researched at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
鲁夫昆在马萨诸塞州总医院和哈佛医学院进行了研究。
At first, Ambros and Ruvkun were interested in genes that control when genetic developments take place.
起初，安布罗斯和鲁夫昆对控制基因发育的基因比较感兴趣。
These developments ensure that different kinds of cells develop at the right time.
它们的发展确保了不同类型的细胞在正确的时间发育。
The scientists studied the genetic material of a one-millimeter-long worm C. Elegans which is commonly used for research.
科学家们研究了一种通常用于研究的一毫米长的线虫的遗传物质。
They studied two mutant strains of worms that displayed defects in the timing of activation of genetic programs during development.
他们研究了两种突变的蠕虫菌株，它们在发育过程中表现出在遗传程序激活时间上的缺陷。
They wanted to identify the mutated genes in the worms and what the genes did.
他们想要确定蠕虫中的突变基因以及这些基因的作用。
After some time, they finally found that microRNA controlled the mutation.
一段时间后，他们终于发现是microRNA控制了突变。
They also believe that this mutation has permitted organisms to change, or evolve, over hundreds of millions of years.
他们还认为，这种突变使有机体在数亿年的时间里发生了变化或进化。
Dr. Claire Fletcher is a cancer researcher with Imperial College London.
克莱尔·弗莱彻博士是伦敦帝国理工学院的癌症研究员。
Fletcher said the discovery of microRNA has opened new ways for treating cancer.
弗莱彻说，microRNA的发现为治疗癌症开辟了新的途径。
Fletcher said that microRNA provides genetic instructions that tell cells to make new proteins.
弗莱彻说，microRNA提供遗传指令，告诉细胞制造新的蛋白质。
“MicroRNA alters how genes in the cell work,” said Fletcher, who is not associated with the Nobel prize.
“microRNA改变了基因在细胞中的工作方式，”弗莱彻说，他与诺贝尔奖无关。
“We can take a microRNA that we know alters the activity of that gene and we can deliver that particular microRNA to cancer cells to stop that mutated gene from having its effect,” Fletcher added.
弗莱彻补充说：“我们可以提取一种已知会改变该基因活性的microRNA，将这种特定的microRNA传递给癌细胞，以阻止该突变基因发挥作用。”
Last year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology was also awarded for developments related to RNA.
去年的诺贝尔医学奖或生理学奖也颁发给了与RNA发展有关的研究人员。
Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman were recognized for discoveries that enabled messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines for COVID-19.
匈牙利裔美国人卡塔林·卡里科和美国人德鲁·魏斯曼因发现信使RNA（mRNA）新冠疫苗而获得认可。
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is valued at about $1 million.
诺贝尔生理学或医学奖的价值约为100万美元。
Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel established the Nobel Prizes to recognize important discoveries that have aided humanity.
瑞典发明家阿尔弗雷德·诺贝尔设立了诺贝尔奖，以表彰帮助人类的重要发现。
Thomas Perlmann is the Secretary-General of the Nobel Committee.
托马斯·珀尔曼是诺贝尔委员会秘书长。
He said it took a long time before Ruvkun came to the phone, but he was “happy, when he understood what it was all about.”
他说，过了很长时间鲁夫昆才接起电话，“知道来龙去脉后，他很高兴。”
I’m Mario Ritter, Jr.
我是小马里奥·里特。
