Who will win the Nobel in Medicine on Monday October 3rd

At 5:30 PM Perth Time (GMT+8) the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology will be announced. Here is my shortlist. As well as scouring the internet, I chose some which might have helped people I know. I spent a few hours on this and we will have a little cocktail party starting 5 pm at the CHRO2024 conference in Perth to see if anyone can pick the winners (QR code below). Here goes!

GLP-1 based therapy for obesityJoel

Habener, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen, Svetlana Mojsov

Habener and Mojsov invented the drug, Knudsen put it into clinical practice. Glucagon-like-peptide-1 is part of glucagon. It is in the gut. It stimulates insulin. Knudsen changed the molecule which allowed long half-life making Semaglutide a once per week injection.

Discovery of TNF and then Anti-TNF therapy

Marc Feldmann and Ravinder Maini (ICL)

for ways to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases such as RA Crohn’s etc. (e.g. infliximab, Humira). UniMelb, WEHI, ICL Oxford)

Treatment of Haemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease and thalassaemia

Stuart Orkin

For the discovery of the molecular mechanism responsible for the switch from foetal to adult haemoglobin gene expression during human development and translating that knowledge into a novel treatment for the haemoglobin disorders – sickle cell disease and beta- thalassemia.

cGas the DNA sensing enzyme which detects foreign DNA.

Zhijian (James) Chen (Fujian / USA Texas)

Free foreign DNA in the body is detected via. cGAS cyglic-GMP-Amp-Synthase. This may be important for triggering interferons and innate immunity even relating to autoimmune diseases.

Drugs that repair the defective chloride channel protein in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Sabine Hadida, Frederick van Goor

For developing life-transforming drug combinations. Ivacaftor works by potentiating the CFTR channel, helping it open more often, which improves chloride ion flow. Vertex Pharmaceuticals etc. (Orkambi) and Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (Symdeko).

Developed noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) using cell-free fetal DNA

Yuk Ming (Dennis) Lo

From The Chinese University of Hong Kong This innovation has revolutionized prenatal testing for mutations such as Down’s Syndrome.

The role of gut microbiota in human health and disease

Jeffrey I. Gordon

His research significantly advanced the understanding of how the community of trillions of microbes living in our digestive tract affects nutrition, metabolism, and overall health.

P.S. I have two tips for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry too! Suggested by Paige Bebee:

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) 

Omar M. Yaghi 

Yaghi’s work on MOFs has revolutionized materials science. MOFs are porous materials with vast applications, including gas storage, separation, catalysis, and drug delivery. Their tunable structure allows for highly specific functions, contributing to advancements in clean energy and environmental sustainability. 

Predicting 3D Protein Structures Using AI 

Demis Hassabis, John Jumper, David Baker 

AI-based protein structure prediction, highlighted by tools like AlphaFold, has transformed our ability to determine the shape of proteins. By addressing a long-standing biological challenge, this breakthrough enhances our understanding of protein function and accelerates drug discovery, biotechnology innovations, and disease research, pushing the boundaries of molecular biology.

Enjoy 🤞👍😁😁