2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: The Circadian Clock and the Value of Basic Research
3 Outubro 2017
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists for their work on the circadian cycle—something that, in today’s political climate, might be considered “useless” by some conservative policymakers.
On October 1st, Thomas Pearlmann, secretary of the Nobel Prize committee, announced that Jeffrey Hall and Michael Rosbash, from Brandeis University, and Michael Young, from Rockefeller University, would share the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. According to the secretary, the laureates’ work explained how plants, animals, and humans adapt to natural cycles such as the day-night (circadian) rhythm.
The scientific community was surprised by the award, as this group was not among the favorites. Many expected the prize to go to cancer immunotherapy or the CRISPR gene-editing technique. Jerome Groopman, writing for The New Yorker, commented that the Swedish Academy wanted to send a clear message to the scientific world and to policymakers who decide on research funding, especially at a time when funding for so-called “useless” research is under debate. Groopman believes the Karolinska Institute intended to send a message to research managers worldwide.
The laureates published their findings by studying a gene that regulates the circadian cycle in fruit flies. At the time (early 1990s), the research had no immediate application, although it was theoretically interesting. Today, beyond being fundamental to understanding how living organisms respond to environmental cycles, this knowledge has created an entirely new branch of biology and medicine, with extensive potential applications. Groopman points out that, in the current climate, the research of these three scientists might never have been funded. Politicians would likely have considered studying the biological clock of fruit flies to be “useless.”
In Groopman’s words, the Swedish Academy made its position clear in favor of basic research—research undertaken not to cure cancer or Alzheimer’s, but for the simple pleasure of discovery. Without basic research, we would likely have almost none of what is so useful today.
Figure: Molecular mechanism of the circadian rhythm. Credits: Natália Marin, CC-BY SA 3.0.
Relevant publications:
Source: Jerome Groopman. The Real Message of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, The New Yorker.