Their revelations could lead to new ways of treating pain or even heart disease.
Thomas Perlmann, Secretary of the Nobel Assembly and the Nobel Committee announces the winners of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
‘This really unlocks one of the secrets of nature,’ said Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Committee, in announcing the winners. ‘It’s actually something that is crucial for our survival, so it’s a very important and profound discovery.’ ‘I only had a few minutes to talk to them, but they were incredibly happy,’ he said. ‘And as far as I could tell they were very surprised and a little bit shocked, maybe.’
‘Knowing how our body senses these changes is fundamental because once we know those molecules, they can be targeted. It’s like finding a lock and now we know the precise keys that will be necessary to unlock it.’ He predicted that new treatments for pain would probably come first, but that knowing how the body detects changes in pressure could eventually lead to drugs for heart disease, if scientists can figure out how to alleviate pressure on blood vessels and other organs.