Research results will contribute to the development of treatments for a wide range of diseases.
Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian are the winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine this year. They discovered temperature and touch receptors.
“We need the ability to feel warmth, cold and touch for the sake of survival and interaction with the world around us. This year's Nobel Prize winners answered the question of how nerve impulses arise that allow people to feel temperature and pressure. Their discoveries made it possible to understand how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate nerve impulses that allow people to perceive the world around them and adapt to it", the Nobel Committee said in a statement.
The report notes that the "ion channels" found by the Nobeliates regulate key physiological processes, including blood pressure and respiration, and the results of the research are used to develop treatments for many diseases.
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