Nobel Prizes
Lab animals have made important contributions to nearly every Nobel Prize in Medicine.Nobel Prizes in Medicine
Nobel-winning animal research leads to huge breakthroughs in science and medicine.
Nobel-winning animal research happens practically every year. In fact, of the 216 award recipients in the Physiology or Medicine category, 180 used animal models in their research. For instance, a German scientist won the first prize in 1901 for developing the diphtheria vaccine through research with horses. Afterwards, each year Nobel Prizes were awarded for major discoveries, most of the time for research involving animals. For example, this year’s winners: William G. Kaelin, Jr., MD, Gregg L. Semenza, MD, PhD, and Peter J. Ratcliffe, MD, FRS, FMedSci (pictured below) won for their work with mice. Their groundbreaking research that has led to an understanding of how cells in the body adapt to changing oxygen availability. Take a look at the press release from The Nobel Assembly to learn more about their groundbreaking research.
William G. Kaelin, Jr., MD, (left) Gregg L. Semenza, MD, PhD, (middle) and Peter J. Ratcliffe, MD, FRS, FMedSci, (right) recipients of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.