The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009 has been awarded “for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”. :bravo: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2009/ The prize is shared equally by three recipients. Notably, two of the recipients are women. Only 37 women have received Nobel Prizes since they were first handed out in 1901. The 10 women who have won the Physiology/Medicine prize are: Gerty Cori, 1947 Rosalyn Yalow, 1977 Barbara McClintock, 1983 Rita Levi-Montalcini, 1986 Gertrude B. Elion, 1988 Christiane Nuesslein-Volhard, 1995 Linda B. Buck, 2004 Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, 2008 Carol W. Greider, 2009 Elizabeth H. Blackburn, 2009
Chromosomal stability via telomere maintenance by telomerase is slightly different to apoptosis, but they are closely linked. Failure of the former leads to the latter. In cancer cells, an excess of the former prevents the latter.
It’s also appropriate to mention the Chemistry prize for 2009 as it is biochemistry-related research. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009 has been awarded "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome". http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2009/ The recipients are Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath.
