David Julius, Ardem Patapoutian jointly win Nobel Prize for Medicine

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian jointly won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch, announced the award-giving group on Monday.

David Julius utilised capsaicin, a pungent compound from chilli peppers that induces a burning sensation, to identify a sensor in the nerve endings of the skin that responds to heat.

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

These breakthrough discoveries launched intense research activities leading to a rapid increase in the understanding of how the nervous system senses heat, cold, and mechanical stimuli.

The laureates identified critical missing links in the understanding of the complex interplay between the senses and the environment, reported the Nobel committee.

The identified ion channels are important for many physiological processes and disease conditions.

The Nobel Prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and is worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.15 million).