U professor Mario Capecchi was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in Sweden on Monday. Capecchi and his co-recipients, Oliver Smithies and Martin Evans, received the prestigious award for their work in gene targeting.
Capecchi’s development of knock-out mice technology — or the ability to alter specific genes in mice with embryonic stem cells — has allowed researchers to model hundreds of diseases, like cancer. Knock-out mice are used in laboratories worldwide to trace diseases and defects.
The Nobel Prize for medicine has been awarded since 1901. The award, which Capecchi first learned he had won in early October, has recognized numerous important discoveries including developments in genetic engineering, the discovery of penicillin and blood-typing.
After the award ceremony, Capecchi, Smithies and Evans attended the Nobel Banquet along with 1,500 other guests for an evening of symphony music and entertainment.
As winners, Capecchi, Smithies and Evans were awarded the Nobel Prize medal, diploma and 10 million Swedish kroner — or approximately $1.5 million.