Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016 Goes to Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi for Discoveries of Mechanisms of Autophagy

Image credit: 大臣官房人事課 – 平成27年度　文化功労者：文部科学省, CC BY 4.0

We’d like to congratulate Yoshinori Ohsumi for winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016. Dr. Ohsumi discovered and gave us an understanding of the process of autophagy, which is how cells dispose of and recycle material from the cytoplasm. This process turned out to be more important than originally thought, playing a role in a wide variety of mechanisms and helping the body adapt to changing conditions. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Intitutet in Sweden that gives out the annual prize has a great overview of autophagy and how Dr Ohsumi’s efforts led to the fundamental discoveries that deserved such an esteemed award.

This year we hosted the Guess-a-Nobel in Physiology or Medicine 2016 Contest because we’re excited about the prize and wanted to see who our readers think should be recognized with the most prestigious award in the land. Sadly, we have to report that though there were a lot of excellent entries, nobody named Dr. Ohsumi.

Again our hearty congratulations and we’ll see you again next year for another round of Guess-a-Nobel in Physiology or Medicine.

Link: Nobel Assembly’s official announcement of Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016…