American scientists receive Nobel Prize in medicine for cancer discovery

Three American scientists were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for their genetic discovery that could lead to new cancer treatments.
Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak found that an enzyme called telomerase may play a role in the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells, the Associated Press reported.
Researchers are currently studying whether drugs that block the enzyme are effective against cancer and whether telomerase may be involved in other diseases.
“The discoveries by Blackburn, Greider and Szostak have added a new dimension to our understanding of the cell, shed light on disease mechanisms, and stimulated the development of potential new therapies,” the Nobel prize committee said in its citation, the AP reported.
Committee members said this is the first time that two women have been among the winners of the medicine prize.
Blackburn is a professor of biology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Greider is a professor in the department of molecular biology and genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Szostak is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.