Nobel Prize 2021: Scientists David Julius, Ardem Patapoutian win for their work on sensing touch, temperature

According to the Nobel Committee, their study "enabled us to grasp how heat, cold, and mechanical stress may begin nerve impulses that allow us to sense and adapt to the environment around us."

The Nobel Prize was awarded to scientists who discovered how our bodies sense the warmth of the sun or the touch of a loved one. David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian of the United States have been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for their touch and temperature sensing work. They dissected how our bodies translate physical sensations into electrical messages in the neurological system. Their discoveries might pave the door for novel approaches to pain management. The Nobel Prize Committee's Thomas Perlman stated, "It was a really important and deep finding."

Prof David Julius of the University of California, San Francisco, made a breakthrough while researching the searing sensation humans experience after eating a hot chilli pepper. He worked with the molecule capsaicin, which is the source of a chilli's spiciness. He identified the exact sort of receptor (a component of our cells that detects the environment) that responded to capsaicin. Further studies revealed that the receptor was sensitive to heat and activated at "painful" temperatures. This is what occurs if you burn your hand on a cup of coffee, for example. The finding sparked the discovery of a slew of additional temperature sensors. Prof Julius and Prof Ardem Patapoutian discovered one that detects cold.

Meanwhile, at the Scripps Research Institute, Prof Pataoutian was prodding cells in a plate. These studies identified a new type of receptor that was activated in response to mechanical force or touch. According to the Nobel Committee, their study "enabled us to grasp how heat, cold, and mechanical stress may begin nerve impulses that allow us to sense and adapt to the environment around us."

According to the committee, this information is being utilised to create therapies for a wide range of diseases, including chronic pain. The prize money of 10 million Swedish kronor (£845,000) will be split between the two.