Stem cell pioneers win Nobel for medicine

Three researchers who pioneered the creation of "designer mice" to track the role of different genes in human development and disease won the 2007 Nobel medicine prize yesterday.

The prestigious 10 million Swedish crown (Lm480,000) award recognised Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans and Oliver Smithies for helping forge a new and fundamental branch of medicine - gene targeting. Italian-born Prof. Capecchi is a US citizen, as is Prof. Smithies. Prof. Evans and Prof. Smithies are British-born.

Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which awards the medicine prize bearing the name of dynamite millionaire Alfred Nobel, said the work of the three revealed "the roles of numerous genes in embryonic development, adult physiology, aging and disease".

In 2001, the trio took the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, seen as the US version of the Nobel since many of its recipients have gone on to become Nobel laureates.

"It's marvellous news both with respect to our laboratory as well as our university," Prof. Capecchi said.

"What we developed is a way of modifying genes in the mouse which allows us to model human diseases, study their pathology as well as ... developing new therapies."

Nobel Committee Secretary Hans Jornvall called new laureate Prof. Capecchi a "great example of the American Dream".

According to Howard Hughes Medical Institute, his mother was taken by the Gestapo to the Dachau concentration camp when he was four, forcing him to fend for himself on Italy's streets until he was reunited with her at nine.

The two soon moved to the United States, where he began school without knowing how to read, write or speak English.

Prof. Capecchi said part of his prize money would go towards his team's research into child cancer and the study of "how we go from an egg to form a human being".

The Nobel Laureate for physics will be announced today, followed by chemistry tomorrow, literature on Thursday and the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo.