The importance of basic research and the Nobel Prize in Medicine

The importance of basic research has been highlighted this year by Yoshinori Ohsumi receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on the process of autophagy. Autophagy—literally “self-eating”—is a fundamental cellular process that degrades and recycles cellular components. During autophagy, fatty capsules, or vesicles, form around internal components of a cell (autophagosomes), are fused with a lysosome, an acidic cellular compartment that breaks down its … Continue reading The importance of basic research and the Nobel Prize in Medicine

Basic Research: Understanding The Way Things Work and Why It Matters

by Emily Low figures by Daniel Utter  Discovery in science does not follow a straightforward path. Scientific research is conducted using models that are still being developed, in the context of dozens of unanswered questions, and using techniques and approaches no one else in the world has used before. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), basic science “provides the foundation of knowledge … Continue reading Basic Research: Understanding The Way Things Work and Why It Matters