Two Americans Win Nobel Prize in Medicine

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STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Americans Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello won

the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for discovering a powerful way to

turn off the effect of specific genes, opening a potential new avenue

for fighting diseases as diverse as cancer and AIDS.

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The process, called RNA interference, also is being studied for

treating such conditions as hepatitis virus infection and heart

disease. It already widely used in basic science as a method to study

the function of genes.

Fire, 47, of Stanford University, and Mello, 45, of the University of

Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, published their seminal

work in 1998.

RNA interference occurs naturally in plants, animals and humans. The

Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, which awarded the $1.4 million

prize, said it is important for regulating the activity of genes and

helps defend against viral infection.

" This year's Nobel laureates have discovered a fundamental mechanism

for controlling the flow of genetic information, " the institute said.

Erna Moller, a member of the Nobel committee, said their research

helped shed new light on a complicated process that had confused

researchers for years.

" It was like opening the blinds in the morning, " she said. " Suddenly

you can see everything clearly. "

Genes produce their effect by sending molecules called messenger RNA

to the protein-making machinery of a cell. In RNA interference,

certain molecules trigger the destruction of RNA from a particular

gene, so that no protein is produced. Thus the gene is effectively

silenced.

For instance, a gene causing high blood cholesterol levels was

recently shown to be silenced in animals through RNA interference.

The prize for Mello and Fire came remarkably quickly after they did

the work. Nobels are generally given decades after the research they

honor.

Mello, reached at his home in Shrewsbury, Mass., said the award came

as a " big surprise. "

" I knew it was a possibility, but I didn't really expect it for

perhaps a few more years. Both and I are fairly young, 40 or

so, and it's only been about eight years since the discovery. "

He said he would try to get to work Monday but expected to

accomplish " not a lot. "

Fire, reached in California, said he was awakened by a call from the

Nobel committee.

`At first I was very excited.... Then I thought I must be dreaming or

maybe it was the wrong number, " he said. But then he confirmed the

good news by checking the Nobel Web site.

" It makes me feel great. It makes me feel incredibly indebted at the

same time, " he said. " You realize how many other people have been

major parts of our efforts. "

Fire conducted his research while at the Washington-based Carnegie

Institution.

The announcement opened this year's series of prize announcements. It

will be followed by Nobel prizes for physics, chemistry, literature,

peace and economics.

Last year's medicine prize went to Australians Barry J. Marshall and

Robin Warren for discovering that bacteria, not stress, causes

ulcers.

Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, established the

prizes in his will in the categories of literature, peace, medicine,

physics and chemistry. The economics prize is technically not a Nobel

but a 1968 creation of Sweden's central bank.

Winners receive a check, handshakes with Scandinavian royalty, and a

banquet on Dec. 10 — the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896. All

prizes are handed out in Stockholm except for the peace prize, which

is presented in Oslo.