By JAIN College

Published: Jun 24, 2025

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2025 12:00 AM

Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine

Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine: Celebrating Scientific Excellence
Groundbreaking Discoveries in Physiology and Medicine: Nobel Prize Winners
Key Facts about the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine
Conclusion
FAQs

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is one of the prestigious awards established as per Alfred Nobel's will. The Nobel Prize is awarded annually by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognises significant discoveries in the fields of physiology and medicine, rewarding research that has "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind".

The Nobel Prize for the year 2024 for the category of Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. This discovery was made in the 1990s and provided critical insights into how genes are controlled after they are transcribed into RNA. Before this discovery, it was believed that only proteins could regulate gene expression after transcription.

Here is a more detailed look at the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine:

Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine: Celebrating Scientific Excellence

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine identifies the significant contributions to the field of Science that have contributed to the understanding of both Physiology and Medicine.

In addition to celebrating breakthrough discoveries in 1901, the Nobel Awards have celebrated significant discoveries that have led to:

Innovations in medicine
Improved public health
A revolution in the way diseases are diagnosed and treated

Quick Facts on the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine category :

Physiology and Medicine Prize: Medicine prizes are given to one laureate only Medicine prizes shared by two laureates Medicine prizes shared between three laureates	115
	40
	36
	39
Physiology and Medicine Laureates:	229
Awarded Women Laureates:	13
Youngest Laureate:	31
Oldest Laureate:	87

History and Prestige:

The Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology and Medicine is one of the most prestigious awards in Science, which recognises accomplishments that have led to a significant impact on human health.

Recent Breakthroughs:

Several breakthroughs recognised by the Nobel Prize include the development of mRNA vaccines, cancer research and other research on differentiating functions of nerve fibres have contributed to the development of modern treatments and medications.

Impact on Healthcare:

Many Nobel award laureates have succeeded in their research for new treatments, vaccines, and technologies. Thus, creating hope for curing previously untreatable health disorders.

Global Recognition:

Winning the Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or Medicine is a significant achievement, which draws awareness to transformative discoveries on a global scale.

Consequently, through the Nobel Prize, the world honours and recognises the efforts of all those scientists who have dedicated their lives to discovering solutions for many health-related issues. Thus, improving human health and well-being.

Groundbreaking Discoveries in Physiology and Medicine: Nobel Prize Winners

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded 115 times to 229 Nobel Prize laureates between 1901 and 2024.

Here is the list of Nobel Prize laureates for the category of Physiology or Medicine from 1901 to 2024, along with their achievements:

Nobel Prize Winners for the Category of Physiology Or Medicine from 1901-2024
Year	Award Winner Name	Country	Awarded for
1901	Emil von Behring	Germany	Work on serum therapy
1902	Sir Ronald Ross	U.K.	Discovery of how malaria enters an organism
1903	Niels Ryberg Finsen	Denmark	Treatment of skin diseases with light
1904	Ivan Pavlov	Russia	Work on the physiology of digestion
1905	Robert Koch	Germany	Tuberculosis research
1906	Camillo Golgi	Italy	Work on the structure of the nervous system
1906	Cajal	Spain	Work on the structure of the nervous system
1907	Alphonse Laveran	France	Discovery of the role of protozoans in diseases
1908	Paul Ehrlich	Germany	Work on immunity
1908	Élie Metchnikoff	Russia	Work on immunity
1909	Emil Theodor Kocher	Switzerland	Physiology, Pathology, and Surgery of the thyroid gland
1910	Albrecht Kossel	Germany	Researches in cellular chemistry
1911	Allvar Gullstrand	Sweden	Work on dioptrics of the eye
1912	Alexis Carrel	France	Work on vascular suture; transplantation of organs
1913	Charles Richet	France	Work on anaphylaxis
1914	Robert Bárány	Austria-Hungary	Work on vestibular apparatus
1919	Jules Bordet	Belgium	Work on immunity factors in blood serum
1920	August Krogh	Denmark	Discovery of the capillary motor-regulating mechanism
1922	A.V. Hill	U.K.	Discoveries concerning heat production in muscles
1922	Otto Meyerhof	Germany	Work on the metabolism of lactic acid in muscles
1923	Sir Frederick Grant Banting	Canada	Discovery of insulin
1923	J.J.R. Macleod	U.K.	Discovery of insulin
1924	Willem Einthoven	Netherlands	Discovery of electrocardiogram mechanism
1926	Johannes Fibiger	Denmark	Contributions to cancer research
1927	Julius Wagner-Jauregg	Austria	Work on malaria inoculation in dementia paralytica
1928	Charles-Jules-Henri Nicolle	France	Work on typhus
1929	Christiaan Eijkman	Netherlands	Discovery of the antineuritic vitamin
1929	Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins	U.K.	Discovery of growth-stimulating vitamins
1930	Karl Landsteiner	U.S.	Discovery of human blood groups
1931	Otto Warburg	Germany	Discovery of the nature and action of the respiratory enzyme
1932	Edgar Douglas Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian	U.K.	Discoveries regarding the function of neurons
1932	Sir Charles Scott Sherrington	U.K.	Discoveries regarding the function of neurons
1933	Thomas Hunt Morgan	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the role played by the chromosome in heredity
1934	George Richards Minot	U.S.	Discoveries concerning liver treatment for anaemia
1934	William P. Murphy	U.S.	Discoveries concerning liver treatment for anaemia
1934	George H. Whipple	U.S.	Discoveries concerning liver treatment for anaemia
1935	Hans Spemann	Germany	Organiser effect in embryos
1936	Sir Henry Dale	U.K.	Work on the chemical transmission of nerve impulses
1936	Otto Loewi	Germany	Work on the chemical transmission of nerve impulses
1937	Albert Szent-Györgyi	Hungary	Work on biological combustion
1938	Corneille Heymans	Belgium	Discovery of the role of sinus and aortic mechanisms in respiration regulation
1939	Gerhard Domagk (declined)	Germany	Antibacterial effect of Prontosil
1943	Edward Adelbert Doisy	U.S.	Discovery of the chemical nature of vitamin K
1943	Henrik Dam	Denmark	Discovery of vitamin K
1944	Joseph Erlanger	U.S.	Researches on differentiated functions of nerve fibres
1944	Herbert Spencer Gasser	U.S.	Researches on differentiated functions of nerve fibres
1945	Sir Ernst Boris Chain	U.K.	Discovery of penicillin and its curative value
1945	Sir Alexander Fleming	U.K.	Discovery of penicillin and its curative value
1945	Howard Walter Florey	Australia	Discovery of penicillin and its curative value
1946	Hermann Joseph Muller	U.S.	Production of mutations by X-radiation
1947	Carl and Gerty Cori	U.S.	Discovery of how glycogen is catalytically converted
1947	Bernardo Alberto Houssay	Argentina	Pituitary hormone function in sugar metabolism
1948	Paul Hermann Müller	Switzerland	Properties of DDT
1949	António Egas Moniz	Portugal	Therapeutic value of leucotomy in psychoses
1949	Walter Rudolf Hess	Switzerland	Discovery of functions of the interbrain
1950	Philip Showalter Hench	U.S.	Research on adrenal cortex hormones, their structure and biological effects
1950	Edward Calvin Kendall	U.S.	Research on adrenal cortex hormones, their structure and biological effects
1950	Tadeus Reichstein	Switzerland	Research on adrenal cortex hormones, their structure and biological effects
1951	Max Theiler	South Africa	Yellow fever discoveries
1952	Selman Abraham Waksman	U.S.	Discovery of streptomycin
1953	Sir Hans Adolf Krebs	U.K.	Discovery of the citric acid cycle
1953	Fritz Albert Lipmann	U.S.	Discovery of coenzyme A in the metabolism of carbohydrates
1954	John Franklin Enders	U.S.	Cultivation of the poliomyelitis virus in tissue cultures
1954	Frederick Chapman Robbins	U.S.	Cultivation of the poliomyelitis virus in tissue cultures
1954	Thomas H. Weller	U.S.	Cultivation of the poliomyelitis virus in tissue cultures
1955	Axel Hugo Teodor Theorell	Sweden	Nature and mode of action of oxidation enzymes
1956	André F. CournanD	U.S.	Discoveries concerning heart catheterisation and circulatory changes
1956	Werner Forssmann	West Germany	Discoveries concerning heart catheterisation and circulatory changes
1956	Dickinson Woodruff Richards	U.S.	Discoveries concerning heart catheterisation and circulatory changes
1957	Daniel Bovet	Italy	production of synthetic curare
1958	George Wells Beadle	U.S.	Genetic regulation of chemical processes
1958	Joshua Lederberg	U.S.	Genetic recombination
1958	Edward L. Tatum	U.S.	Genetic regulation of chemical processes
1959	Arthur Kornberg	U.S.	Work on producing nucleic acids artificially
1959	Severo Ochoa	U.S.	Work on producing nucleic acids artificially
1960	Sir Macfarlane Burnet	Australia	Acquired immunity to tissue transplants
1960	Sir Peter B. Medawar	U.K.	Acquired immunity to tissue transplants
1961	Georg von Békésy	U.S.	Functions of the Inner ear
1962	Francis Harry Compton Crick	U.K.	discoveries concerning the molecular structure of DNA
1962	James Dewey Watson	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the molecular structure of DNA
1962	Maurice Wilkins	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the molecular structure of DNA
1963	Sir John Carew Eccles	Australia	Study of the transmission of impulses along a nerve fibre
1963	Alan Hodgkin	U.K.	Study of the transmission of impulses along a nerve fibre
1963	Andrew Fielding Huxley	U.K.	Study of the transmission of impulses along a nerve fibre
1964	Konrad Bloch	U.S.	Discoveries concerning cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism
1964	Feodor Lynen West	Germany	Discoveries concerning cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism
1965	François Jacob	France	Discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis
1965	André Lwoff	France	Discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis
1965	Jacques Monod	France	Discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis
1966	Charles B. Huggins	U.S.	Discovery of tumour-inducing viruses
1966	Peyton Rous	U.S.	Discovery of tumour-inducing viruses
1967	Ragnar Arthur Granit	Sweden	Discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye
1967	Haldan Keffer Hartline u	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye
1967	George Wald	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye
1968	Robert William Holley	U.S.	For their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis
1968	Har Gobind Khorana	U.S.	For their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis
1968	Marshall Warren Nirenberg	U.S.	For their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis
1969	Max Delbrück	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses
1969	A.D. Hershey	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses
1969	Salvador Luria	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the replication mechanism and the genetic structure of viruses
1970	Julius Axelrod	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation
1970	Ulf von Euler	Sweden	Discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation
1970	Sir Bernard Katz	U.K.	Discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation
1971	Ulf von Euler	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the mechanisms of the action of hormones
1972	Gerald Maurice Edelman	U.S.	Research on the chemical structure of antibodies
1972	Rodney Robert Porter	U.K.	Research on the chemical structure of antibodies
1973	Karl von Frisch	Austria	Discoveries in animal behaviour patterns
1973	Konrad Lorenz	Austria	Discoveries in animal behaviour patterns
1973	Nikolaas Tinbergen	U.K.	Discoveries in animal behaviour patterns
1974	Albert Claude	U.S.	Research on the structural and functional organisation of cells
1974	Christian René de Duve	Belgium	Research on the structural and functional organisation of cells
1974	George E. Palade	U.S.	Research on the structural and functional organisation of cells
1975	David Baltimore	U.S.	Interaction between tumour viruses and the genetic material of the cell
1975	Renato Dulbecco	U.S.	Interaction between tumour viruses and the genetic material of the cell
1975	Howard Martin Temin	U.S.	Interaction between tumour viruses and the genetic material of the cell
1976	Baruch S. Blumberg	U.S.	Studies of the origin and spread of infectious diseases
1976	D. Carleton Gajdusek	U.S.	Studies of the origin and spread of infectious diseases
1977	Roger Guillemin	U.S.	Research on pituitary hormones
1977	Andrew Victor Schally	U.S.	Research on pituitary hormones
1977	Rosalyn Yalow	U.S.	Development of radioimmunoassay
1978	Werner Arber	Switzerland	Discovery and application of enzymes that fragment DNA
1978	Daniel Nathans	U.S.	Discovery and application of enzymes that fragment DNA
1978	Hamilton Othanel Smith	U.S.	Discovery and application of enzymes that fragment DNA
1979	Allan MacLeod Cormack	U.S.	Development of the CAT scan
1979	Godfrey N.Hounsfield	U.K.	Development of the CAT scan
1980	Baruj Benacerraf	U.S.	Investigations of genetic control of the response of the immune system to foreign substances
1980	Jean Dausset	France	Investigations of genetic control of the response of the immune system to foreign substances
1980	George Davis Snell	U.S.	Investigations of genetic control of the response of the immune system to foreign substances
1981	David Hunter Hubel	U.S.	Processing of visual information by the brain
1981	Roger Wolcott Sperry	U.S.	Functions of the cerebral hemispheres
1981	Torsten Nils Wiesel	Sweden	Processing of visual information by the brain
1982	Sune K. Bergström	Sweden	Biochemistry and physiology of prostaglandins
1982	Bengt Ingemar Samuelsson	Sweden	Biochemistry and physiology of prostaglandins
1982	John Robert Vane	U.K.	Biochemistry and physiology of prostaglandins
1983	Barbara McClintock	U.S.	Discovery of mobile plant genes that affect heredity
1984	Niels K. Jerne	Denmark	Theory and development of a technique for producing monoclonal antibodies
1984	Georges J.F. Köhler	West Germany	Theory and development of a technique for producing monoclonal antibodies
1984	César Milstein	Argentina	Theory and development of a technique for producing monoclonal antibodies
1985	Michael S. Brown	U.S.	Discovery of cell receptors relating to cholesterol metabolism
1985	Joseph L. Goldstein	U.S.	Discovery of cell receptors relating to cholesterol metabolism
1986	Stanley Cohen	U.S.	Discovery of chemical agents that help regulate the growth of cells
1986	Rita Levi-Montalcini	Italy	Discovery of chemical agents that help regulate the growth of cells
1987	Tonegawa Susumu	Japan	Study of genetic aspects of antibodies
1988	Sir James W. Black	U.K.	Development of new classes of drugs for combating disease
1988	Gertrude Belle Elion	U.S.	Development of new classes of drugs for combating disease
1988	George Herbert Hitchings	U.S.	Development of new classes of drugs for combating disease
1989	J. Michael Bishop	U.S.	Study of cancer-causing genes (oncogenes)
1989	Harold Varmus	U.S.	Study of cancer-causing genes (oncogenes)
1990	Joseph E. Murray	U.S.	Development of kidney and bone marrow transplants
1990	E. Donnall Thomas	U.S.	Development of kidney and bone marrow transplants
1991	Erwin Neher	Germany	Discovery of how cells communicate, as related to diseases
1991	Bert Sakmann	Germany	Discovery of how cells communicate, as related to diseases
1992	Edmond H. Fischer	U.S.	Discovery of the class of enzymes called protein kinases
1992	Edwin Gerhard Krebs	U.S.	Discovery of the class of enzymes called protein kinases
1993	Richard J. Roberts	U.K.	Discovery of "split," or interrupted, genetic structure
1993	Phillip A. Sharp	U.S.	Discovery of "split," or interrupted, genetic structure
1994	Alfred G. Gilman	U.S.	Discovery of cell signalers called G-proteins
1994	Martin Rodbell	U.S.	Discovery of cell signalers called G-proteins
1995	Edward B. Lewis	U.S.	Identification of genes that control the body's early structural development
1995	Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard	Germany	Identification of genes that control the body's early structural development
1995	Eric F. Wieschaus	U.S.	Identification of genes that control the body's early structural development
1996	Peter C. Doherty	Australia	Discovery of how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells
1996	Rolf M. Zinkernagel	Switzerland	Discovery of how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells
1997	Stanley B. Prusiner	U.S.	Discovery of the prion, a type of disease-causing protein
1998	Robert F. Furchgott	U.S.	Discovery that nitric oxide (NO) acts as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system
1998	Louis J. Ignarro	U.S.	Discovery that nitric oxide (NO) acts as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system
1998	Ferid Murad	U.S.	Discovery that nitric oxide (NO) acts as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system
1999	Günter Blobel	U.S.	Discovery that proteins have signals governing cellular organisation
2000	Arvid Carlsson	Sweden	Discovery of how signals are transmitted between nerve cells in the brain
2000	Paul Greengard	U.S.	Discovery of how signals are transmitted between nerve cells in the brain
2000	Eric Kandel	U.S.	Discovery of how signals are transmitted between nerve cells in the brain
2001	Leland H. Hartwell	U.S.	Discovery of key regulators of the cell cycle
2001	R. Timothy Hunt	U.K.	Discovery of key regulators of the cell cycle
2001	Sir Paul M. Nurse	U.K.	Discovery of key regulators of the cell cycle
2002	Sydney Brenner	U.K.	Discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death (apoptosis)
2002	H. Robert Horvitz	U.S.	Discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death (apoptosis)
2002	John E. Sulston	U.K.	Discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death (apoptosis)
2005	Barry J. Marshall	Australia	Discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease
2005	J. Robin Warren	Australia	Discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease
2006	Andrew Z. Fire	U.S	Discovery of RNA interference gene silencing by double-stranded RNA
2006	Craig C. Mello	U.S.	Discovery of RNA interference gene silencing by double-stranded RNA
2007	Mario R. Capecchi	U.S.	Discovery of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells
2007	Sir Martin J. Evans	U.K.	Discovery of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells
2007	Oliver Smithies	U.S.	Discovery of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells
2008	Françoise Barré-Sinoussi	France	Discovery of human immunodeficiency virus
2008	Luc Montagnier	France	Discovery of human immunodeficiency virus
2008	Harald zur Hausen	Germany	Discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer
2009	Elizabeth H. Blackburn	U.S.	Discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase
2009	Carol W. Greider	U.S.	Discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase
2009	Jack W. Szostak	U.S.	Discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase
2010	Robert.G. Edwards	U.K.	Development of in vitro fertilisation
2011	Bruce A. Beutler	U.S.	Discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity
2011	Jules A. Hoffmann	Luxembourg/France	Discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity
2011	Ralph M. Steinman	Canada	Discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity
2012	Sir John Bertrand Gurdon	U.K.	Discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent
2012	Shinya Yamanaka	Japan	Discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent
2013	James E. Rothman	U.S.	Discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in cells
2013	Randy W. Schekman	U.S.	Discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in cells
2013	Thomas C. Südhof	Germany/U.S.	Discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in cells
2014	Edvard I. Moser	Norway	Discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain
2014	May-Britt Moser	Norway	Discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain
2014	John O'Keefe	U.S.	Discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain
2015	William C. Campbell	Ireland	Discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites
2015	Ōmura Satoshi	Japan	Discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites
2015	Tu Youyou	China	Discoveries concerning a novel therapy against malaria
2016	Yoshinori Ohsumi	Japan	Discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy
2017	Jeffrey C. Hall	U.S	Discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm
2017	Michael Rosbash	U.S	Discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm
2017	Michael W. Young	U.S	Discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm
2018	James P. Allison	U.S	Discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation
2018	Honjo Tasuku	Japan	Discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation
2019	William G. Kaelin Jr	U.S	Discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability
2019	Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe	U.K.	Discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability
2019	Gregg L. Semenza	U.S.	Discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability
2020	Harvey J. Alter	U.S	Discovery of Hepatitis C virus
2020	Michael Houghton	U.K.	Discovery of Hepatitis C virus
2020	Charles M. Rice	U.S.	Discovery of Hepatitis C virus
2021	David Julius	U.S.	Discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch
2021	Ardem Patapoutian	Leb./U.S.	Discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch
2022	Svante Pääbo	Sweden	Discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution
2023	Katalin Karikó	Hungary	Discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19
2023	Drew Weissman	U.S.	Discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19
2024	Victor Ambros	U.S.	Discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation
2024	Gary Ruvkun	U.S.	Discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation
2003	Paul LauterbuR	U.S.	Development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
2003	Sir Peter Mansfield	U.K.	Development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
2004	Richard Axel	U.S.	Discovery of odorant receptors and the organisation of the olfactory system
2004	Linda B. Buck	U.S.	Discovery of odorant receptors and the organisation of the olfactory system

The Nobel Prize was not awarded on nine occasions: in 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1921, 1925, 1940, 1941 and 1942.

Key Facts about the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine

Here are some interesting facts about the Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or Medicine:

Fact No. 1:

Among the 115 times/ 229 laureates in the category of Physiology or Medicine, 13 were women laureates.

Fact No. 2:

The Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or Medicine 2025 will be announced on Monday, 6th October 2025, at 11:30 CEST (Central European Summer Time) at the earliest.

Fact No. 3:

Sir Frederick Grant Banting was a Canadian pharmacologist, orthopedist, and field surgeon. He was the youngest medicine laureate to receive the Nobel Prize at the age of 31 in the category of Physiology or Medicine in 1923 for the discovery of insulin.

Fact No. 4:

Francis Peyton Rous ForMemRS was an American pathologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize at the age of 87 for his discovery of tumour-inducing viruses. He was considered the oldest medicine laureate.

Fact No. 5:

Barbara McClintock was an American scientist and cytogeneticist who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for her discovery of mobile plant genes that affect heredity.

She was the only woman who received an unshared Nobel Prize among 13 women laureates.

Fact No. 6:

According to the will of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Bernhard Nobel, each Nobel Prize consists of

A gold medal
A diploma bearing a citation
A sum of money, the amount of which depends on the income of the Nobel Foundation

Fact No. 7:

Posthumous Awards: Before 1974, the Posthumous Awards were only awarded posthumously twice.

Fact No. 8:

Out of the 229 Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine, Americans represent the majority of awardees with 104 laureates, followed by the U.K. with 31 laureates

and Germany with 17 laureates.

Fact No. 9:

Many Nobel Prize-winning discoveries in Physiology or Medicine have relied on animal models. According to Understanding Animal Research, over 190 out of 216 Nobel Prizes awarded up to 2017 involved work that depended on animal research. Animal models used include Cattle, Chickens, Dogs, Fruit flies, Mice, Monkeys, Rats, Sheep and more.

Fact No. 10:

In 1939, Gerhard Johannes Paul Domagk, a German pathologist and bacteriologist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or Medicine. Due to some political circumstances in Nazi Germany at the time, Domagk was forced to decline the Nobel Prize.

Conclusion

The Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or Medicine marks the most impactful and pioneering discoveries in medical science. This Nobel Award not only celebrates individual excellence but also highlights advancements that benefit humanity as a whole.

Each Nobel Prize is an award that serves as a reminder of the power of scientific research to transform human lives, inspire future innovations, and build a healthier world.

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For further information on the Legacy of the Nobel Prize, Nobel Award Winners and Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, read our blogs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2023 was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their work on mRNA technology.

The Nobel Prize highlights groundbreaking research that has transformed medical science and improved human health worldwide.

The first Nobel Prize in the Physiology or Medicine category was awarded to Emil Adolf von Behring, a German Physiologist who received it in 1901 for his work on serum therapy.

A total of 115 Nobel Prizes have been awarded in the category of Physiology or Medicine between 1901 and 2024.

As Alfred Nobel stated in his will, the first week of October each year, the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Literature and Peace are announced.

Since 1901, it has been the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute, a research-led medical university in Solna and one of the foremost medical research institutes globally, that selects the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

To get nominated for a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

One must publish their research in the scientific literature and have to be nominated
One needs to discover to be considered for a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

No. There is no such distinction based on age, race, sex of the individual, nationality, or the institution they work for. Every year, each nomination or recipients of the Nobel Prize are considered based on the discovery that would have a benefit to humankind.

The selection criteria for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine were clearly outlined in Alfred Nobel's will. These criteria include:

The discovery that would have a benefit to humankind
Discovery has changed the way we think about a problem – it is paradigm-shifting
A discovery that has either opened doors or helped us to think about a problem in a new way
It has to be a discovery, it has to be of a high distinction, and it has to be a benefit to humankind
The height of that discovery should be quite great. It cannot be an invention or an improvement

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