Scientists in Toronto, Ontario are waiting in eager anticipation tonight, to hear the announcement of this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine, since two of their own are favorites for the award. Drs. Ernest McCulloch and James Till are highly regarded as the fathers of stem cell research - having discovered stem cells in 1960, in their laboratory at what was the Ontario Cancer Institute (now the research wing of Princess Margaret Hospital). Their work laid the foundations for all stem cell research projects today, and bone marrow transplantation in cancer patients. nearly 50 years later, stem cells are being incorporated into many other areas of biomedical research, including spinal cord repair and skin grafting. There are even new applications for stem cells and nanotechnology!
The Canadians have won every other major medical award, according to the Toronto Star, including the Lasker Award, which they claimed in 2005 and supposedly predicts who will win the Nobel. This said, the rumors are only just that - rumors- since, according to the Nobel website facts page, nominations for Nobel Awards are kept secret for 50 years. If you could nominate someone, who would it be? (tell us who, and why!)
Comments