2007-9-14

Sydney Brenner (left) H. Robert Horvitz (right) John E. Sulston (middle)

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2002 was awarded to British Sydney Brenner, American H. Robert Horvitz and British John E. Sulston for their discoveries concerning'genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death'. Taking eelworms as research objects, the three winners discovered that the "programmed cell death" was controlled by gene successively, found some genes relating to it and proved that corresponding genes exist in human body. Researches on these genes are helpful to the development of new treatments focusing on diseases like cancers, AIDS and Alzheimer.

British scientist Sydney Brenner was born on Jan 13th, 1927 in South Africa, obtaining master's degree in the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa in 1951 and doctor's degree in Oxford, UK in 1954 and holding a post in The Molecular Sciences Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA. He selected eelworms to be as novel experimental organism model. The unique method enabled gene analysis to be connected with cell division and differentiation and the development of organs and can trace the series of process by microscope. These discoveries of Brenner in Oxford established the foundation for his winning of the Nobel Prize 2002.

American scientist H. Robert Horvitz, born on May 8th, 1947, obtained master's and doctor's degree in biology in Harvard University in 1972 and 1974 respectively and hold a post as assistant professor, associate professor and professor in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He discovered the critical genes that control cell death in eelworms and drew the characteristics of them and unveiled how these genes interacted during the process of cell death and proved that corresponding genes exist in human body.

British scientist John E. Sulston, born on Mar. 27th, 1942, obtained bachelor's degree in 1963 and doctor's degree in 1966 in University of Cambridge, England, was a postdoctor in "Salk Biology Research Center" at San Diego of America from 1966 to 1969, engaged in research in world-famous MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology of UK in 1969, was selected to Royal Society in 1986 and was a director of Sanger Centre of Cambridge between 1992 and 2000. His contribution was the discoveries of cell lines which can trace every division and differentiation process of cells. John E. Sulston pointed out that the cells would experience a "programmed cell death" process when differentiating and identified the initially change condition of controlling genes during process of cell death.