Japanese scientist gagawaran ng Nobel Medicine Prize

Ni Florenda Corpuz

Kuha mula sa Tokyo Institute of Technology

Igagawad kay Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi ang 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine para sa kanyang pagkakatuklas kung paano nawawasak at muling nabubuo ang cells para higit na maunawaan ang mga malulubhang sakit tulad ng cancer at Parkinson’s disease at type 2 diabetes.

Ayon sa The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, napagpasiyahan nilang igawad sa 71-taong-gulang na microbiologist na si Ohsumi ang prestihiyosong parangal “for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy.”

Ang autophagy (self-eating) ay nagmula sa mga Griyegong salita na auto na ang ibig sabihin ay “self,” at phagein na ang kahulugan ay “to eat.”

“This year’s Nobel Laureate discovered and elucidated mechanisms underlying autophagy, a fundamental process for degrading and recycling cellular components,” pahayag ng The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet.

Gumamit ng baker’s yeast o pampaalsa si Ohsumi para malaman ang genes na mahalaga para sa autophagy.

“Ohsumi’s discoveries led to a new paradigm in our understanding of how the cell recycles its content. His discoveries opened the path to understanding the fundamental importance of autophagy in many physiological processes, such as in the adaptation to starvation or response to infection. Mutations in autophagy genes can cause disease, and the autophagic process is involved in several conditions including cancer and neurological disease,” saad pa ng Nobel Assembly.

Makatatanggap ng walong milyong Swedish crowns o katumbas ng ¥95 milyon bilang prize money si Ohsumi na balak niyang itulong sa pagtatayo ng bagong research center for microbiology at makalikha ng sistema na susuporta sa mga batang scientists.

Samantala, nagpahayag naman ng pagkagalak si Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sa pagkapanalo ni Ohsumi.

“The results of Prof. Ohsumi’s research will cast a ray of light on people around the world suffering from cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and other intractable diseases. Through Prof. Ohsumi’s selection for this honor, Japanese researchers have been awarded the Nobel Prize in three consecutive years. It is extremely gratifying that Japan will lead the world through innovation, notably in biology and medicine, and be able to contribute to the world. I very much look forward to Prof. Ohsumi continuing his distinguished work even more actively into the future,” aniya.

Si Ohsumi ay isinilang sa Fukuoka noong 1945. Nakatanggap siya ng Ph.D. mula sa University of Tokyo taong 1974. Matapos ang tatlong taong pamamalagi sa Rockefeller University, New York, USA ay bumalik siya sa University of Tokyo kung saan niya itinatag ang kanyang research group noong 1988. Siya ay kasalukuyang propesor aa Tokyo Institute of Technology simula pa noong 2009.

Si Ohsumi ang ika-25 Hapon na ginawaran ng Nobel Prize at ikaapat na makatatanggap ng parangal sa kategorya ng medisina.

Ito na ang ikatlong sunod na taon na napabilang ang isang Hapon sa listahan ng Nobel laureates.

Tatanggapin ni Ohsumi ang parangal sa Disyembre 10 sa Stockholm, Sweden.