On Tuesday, December 10, King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden presented the Nobel Prizes to this year's winners. This day, certainly extremely ennobling and exciting for the awardees, is also important for our university. This is because it provides an opportunity to demonstrate the importance to the modern world of Nobel Prize-winning discoveries in physiology and medicine. Hence, every year the Nobel Session is held within the walls of the MUW. The organizer of the XXXIV edition of the event was traditionally the Faculty of Medicine, and the host was the dean of the faculty, Prof. Paweł Włodarski.
The Importance of Nobel Sessions
- For us, the Nobel Sessions are not only an opportunity to honor the Alfred Nobel Prize winners, but also to pay tribute to all researchers who conduct scientific research around the world - said Prof. Paweł Włodarski. And he added: - Their discoveries are made over many years and are the culmination of a series of works, most of which are usually failures. However, the perseverance of researchers is the foundation of breakthrough discoveries.
Prof. Rafal Krenke, Rector of our university, also addressed the importance of the Nobel Session.
- The Nobel Session of the Faculty of Medicine is intended, on the one hand, to be an expression of recognition, respect, but also admiration for the achievements and discoveries of Nobel Prize winners, and, on the other hand, to disseminate knowledge about research and point out the paths of scientific development that can and perhaps should also be followed by the scientists of our university.
Award after 30 years of discovery
The Nobel Prize winners made the discovery of microRNA in 1993. As Prof. Włodarski pointed out, the Nobel Committee's selection of laureates is an extremely difficult process, and the announcement of the results always stirs up emotions, and sometimes controversy that an undeserving discovery is awarded.
- Is this really the case? Usually time is the best judge. Maybe that's why the Nobel Prize is awarded later, usually many years after the discovery was made. The average interval between the publication of an achievement and a Nobel Prize in the sciences is 19 years, with a whopping 31 years for prizes in economics. In medicine and physiology, Nobel prizes are awarded after 17 years on average, but many researchers wait much longer for the prize - Dean Włodarski recalled.
However, as Rector Prof. Rafał Krenke stressed, the long waiting time for a Nobel Prize should not discourage scientists from conducting research, especially in medical science. Because achievements in this field have a direct impact on the ability to save people's health and lives. But not only.
- After all, the real mission of a scientist is not to pursue this award, but to discover the truth and pursue his passion - Professor Krenke said.
The significance of the discovery of this year's Nobel laureates
The speakers at the session, who talked about the essence and significance of the discovery of microRNAs, were Iwona Grabowska-Kowalik, MD, PhD, from the Department of Cytology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, and Prof. Krystian Jażdżewski from the Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, University of Warsaw.
Iwona Grabowska-Kowalik, MD, PhD, in her presentation “microRNAs in the lead role - epigenetic mechanisms of cell differentiation and therapeutic potential” emphasized:
- This year's Nobel Prize winners have, with their discovery, opened the way for research into a new universal mechanism of gene regulation or the regulation of gene expression in multicellular organisms. This is a remarkable discovery. Their work has laid the foundation for understanding the role of microRNAs in developmental biology, physiology, pathology, and diseases such as cancer and genetic diseases.
MicroRNAs are small (about 22 nucleotides long) non-coding molecules that are involved in the regulation of gene expression, thereby affecting the development and function of organisms. To date, several thousand of these molecules have been discovered. Iwona Grabowska-Kowalik, MD, PhD, explained that due to their role in key processes in the body, disruption of microRNA expression can contribute to various diseases. Research conducted on these molecules already allows microRNAs to be used as biomarkers in disease diagnosis.
In turn, Prof. Krystian Jażdżewski of the Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics UW, in his lecture entitled “Is the Nobel Prize written in the genes?” recalled that this year's Nobel laureates conducted their groundbreaking research on the nematode C. elegans, which measures about a millimeter. By studying the nematode's genes, it was possible to describe the function of microRNAs, and later also to discover microRNA genes in humans.
- The discovery seemed at first to be far removed from human physiology and the development of diseases, but it was soon determined that the nematode genome contains many genes that have their counterparts in humans, and mutations of many of these genes result in the development of serious diseases in humans, Professor Jażdżewski said - It soon became apparent that genes from the microRNA class are present in all multicellular organisms and in an extremely conserved, unchanged sequence.
Also, Prof. Krystian Jażdżewski stressed that the results of the Nobel laureates' research made it possible to document the fundamental importance of microRNAs in the development of the organism and in the control of a number of physiological processes, the disorders of which lead to many diseases, including cancer. The professor also noted that microRNAs can be used for diagnostics, but also in predicting the course of diseases or response to treatment.
- It is important to remember that individual microRNAs can regulate dozens of genes, and the specific effect depends on which tissue and at what time a given microRNA will undergo simultaneous expression with a potential target gene - Professor Jażdżewski explained.
The ceremony ended with a performance by the Choir of the Medical University of Warsaw.
Among those present at the XXXIII Nobel Session were: Prof. Marek Kuch, Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Education, Prof. Marcin Sobczak, Vice Rector for Science and Technology Transfer, Piotr Luliński, PharmD, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Justyna Teliga-Czajkowska, MD, PhD, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof. Piotr Regulski, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Prof. Dorota Włodarczyk, Vice Chairman of the Health Sciences Discipline Council, Prof. Grzegorz Nałęcz-Jawecki, Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Discipline Council, Prof. Maciej Słodkowski, Director of the Center for Postgraduate Education, Prof. Jerzy Jurkiewicz, President of the Warsaw Medical Society, Prof. Leonora Bużańska, Director of the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Joanna Strosznajder of the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Marek Krawczyk, Rector of the MUW from 2008 to 2016, Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong, Rector of MUW from 2020-2024, Vice Deans of the Faculty of Medicine, members of the Council of the Faculty of Medicine, Grażyna Jermakowicz, MA, Director of the Museum of the History of Medicine MUW, Dr Marta Kijak-Bloch, Chancellor, representatives of the Student Scientific Society MUW, representatives of the Doctoral Student Self-Government Board MUW.
