Nobel Museum Exhibition lecture highlights experiences of Nobel laureates in physiology and medicine
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF)-- a member of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives-- arranged the third and last lecture as part of the Nobel Museum Exhibition 2016, hosted by the Foundation for the 2nd successive year in Dubai. The exhibition is being held this year at Children's City at Dubai Creek Park until March 21, under the theme, Exploring Life: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The lecture on the topic, The Experience of Nobel Laureates in Physiology and Medicine, was delivered by Dr. Katarina Nordqvist, Director of Research at the Nobel Museum, in the existence of His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, Managing Director of MBRF. It was participated in by a variety of specialists and academics as well as school students and students of medical specialties from various state universities.
The lecture clarified the achievements of the Nobel Prize winners in the field of chronic diseases and cancer treatments. Dr. Nordqvist drew the interest of the audience to the bios of Dr. Gertrude B. Elion, Dr. George H. Hitchings, and Sir James Whyte Black, who got the 1988 Nobel Prize in medicine for their research study and discoveries in the field of chemotherapy which inhibits the spread of cancer in the body. She said the contribution of these Nobel laureates have actually conserved the lives of thousands of children impacted by leukemia.
Describing the factors for the keen interest of Alfred Nobel, the creator of the award, in the medical field, Dr. Nordqvist stated Nobel experienced weak health, which prompted him to support the medical field, especially in areas connected to blood diseases, she stated.
Dr. Nordqvist explained that the Nobel Prize winners are chosen every year by the Nobel Assembly, which includes 50 members, consisting of a specialised committee to study the 300 to 400 nominations and research projects sent for the award. She stated the examination phase takes significant time and effort, and is performed with utmost confidentiality to guarantee the credibility of the award.
She stated that Nobel Prize distributed 106 awards in the medical field up until now from 210 winners. The youngest winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine is aged 32 years, while the earliest winner is aged 87. Pointing out that most of the awards enter favour of the discoveries that serve humanity, Dr. Nordqvist said the prominent Nobel Prize wins in the medical field include those for the discoveries of significant drugs currently made use of by people, the mechanisms of blood transfusions, and the invention of penicillin, along with medical advancements in the treatment of malaria.
Nobel Museum Exhibition 2016 gets visitors every day from 9 AM to 8 PM, except on Fridays when it opens from 3 PM to 9 PM.
