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The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded Monday to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discovery of temperature and touch receptors.”

His work sheds light on how to reduce chronic and acute pain associated with a range of diseases, traumas and their treatments.

“Our ability to feel hot, cold, and touch is crucial to our survival and is fundamental to our interaction with the world around us.” The Nobel committee said in a news release. “We underestimate these sensations in our daily life, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that temperature and pressure can be perceived?”

The committee said that this issue has now been resolved.

Why did they win?

The couple made groundbreaking discoveries that began intensive research activities, which led to a rapid increase in our understanding of how our nervous system perceives heat, cold and mechanical stimuli. The award winners have identified critical missing links in our understanding of the complex interaction between our senses and the environment.

Specifically, Mr. Julius used capsaicin, a pungent compound that causes a burning sensation from cayenne pepper, to identify a sensor that responds to heat in the skin’s nerve endings.

Mr. Patapoutian used pressure-sensitive cells to discover a new class of sensors that respond to mechanical stimuli in the skin and internal organs.

Why is work important?

The Nobel committee said two scientists helped answer one of the deepest questions about the human condition: How do we feel about our environment?

“The mechanisms underlying our senses have sparked our curiosity for thousands of years, such as how light is perceived by the eyes, how sound waves affect our inner ears, and how different chemical compounds interact with receptors in our nose and mouth, and produce scent and taste,” the committee wrote.

In the 17th century, the philosopher René Descartes designed threads that connect different parts of the skin to the brain. In this way, when the flame touches the foot, a signal is sent to the brain. Later research found that sensory neurons register changes in our environment.

in 1944 Joseph Erlanger and Herbert Gasser He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering different types of sensory nerve fibers that respond to different stimuli, for example, painful and painless touch.

But one fundamental question remained. How are temperature and mechanical impulses converted into electrical impulses in the nervous system?

The work of Mr. Julius and Mr. Patapoutian provides, for the first time, our understanding of how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate nerve impulses that allow us to perceive and adapt to the world around us.

The committee said their work encourages intensive research into developing treatments for a wide variety of disease conditions, including chronic pain.

Who are the winners?

Dr. David Julius is a professor of physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. In the 1990s, his research on the chemical compound capsaicin revolutionized the way scientists understood the burning sensation created by cayenne pepper. Together with a team of colleagues, he created a library containing millions of DNA fragments that are expressed in sensory neurons in response to pain, heat, and touch.

Ardem Patapoutian is a molecular biologist and neuroscientist at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, “focusing on identifying and characterizing ion channels and other sensors that translate mechanical impulses into chemical signals.” According to the center’s website.

He received his doctorate degree. He attended the California Institute of Technology in 1996 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California before joining the Scripps Research team in 2000. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2017 and was elected to the American Academy of Sciences in 2020. Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2020, Dr. Julius and Dr. patapoutian, Kavli Prize in NeuroscienceThe Norwegian government is presiding over discovering breakthrough proteins that help bodies sense pressure.

Who won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine?

Dr. Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice received the award for their work. discovery of hepatitis C virus. The Nobel committee said the three scientists “made possible blood tests and new drugs that have saved millions of lives.”

Who else won a Nobel Prize in science in 2020?

When will the other Nobel Prizes be announced?

• There are two more science awards. Physics will be announced on Tuesday and Chemistry on Wednesday in Stockholm.

• The literary prize will be announced on Thursday in Stockholm. read about last year’s winner, Louise Glück.

• The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday in Oslo. Find out about last year’s winner, World Food Program.

• The Nobel in economics will be announced on October 11 in Stockholm. Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson.