Three researchers who studied how cells shuttle around essential
molecules in tiny intracellular sacs have won this year’s Nobel Prize in
physiology or medicine. James Rothman of Yale University; Randy
Schekman of the University of California, Berkeley; and Thomas Südhof of
Stanford University earned the award
"for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major
transport system in our cells," according to the announcement from the
Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
The three researchers independently unraveled basic cellular
mechanisms several decades ago—in Schekman's case, almost 40 years ago.
Although mistakes in cellular transport systems can cause a variety of
diseases—including diabetes and neurological and immunological
disorders—their work has not yet led to any new drugs or therapies, but
it has helped others develop diagnostic tests.
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