2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine: David Julius, Ardem Patapoutian Are Winners!

2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine: David Julius, Ardem Patapoutian Are Winners!

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian won the 2021 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. They won the most prestigious awards for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch. The panel at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm made the announcement. In 2020, the Nobel Prize in phsiology or medicine went to three scientits who discovered Hepatitis C virus. A gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million) will be given to the winners.

Juleen Zierath, professor of physiology and a member of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet said that, “Alfred Nobel was very clear in his will when he listed the criteria for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He specifically stated he was looking for a discovery that would have a benefit to humankind so our criteria is very narrow. We’re looking for a discovery that has either opened doors and helped us think about a problem in a new way, or the discovery has changed the way we think about a problem it’s paradigm shifting.”