Nobel Prize 2016 Winner In Physiology, Yoshinori Ohsumi, Honored In A Grand Celebration In Stockholm

Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize 2016 in Physiology for his remarkable research on "autophagy" and cell recycling. The ceremony was held at the Stockholm Concert Hall, in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016.

Yoshinori Ohsumi received the customary medal and the diploma from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf at the ceremony. Along with Ohsumi, Bob Dylan, famous American musician received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, while Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos received the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize in a separate ceremony conducted in Oslo.

Around two months ago, the Nobel Prize Committee announced that Yoshinori Ohsumi, honorary professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, is selected as the winner of the Nobel Prize 2016 in Physiology for his research contributions in the elucidation of autophagy, an intracellular biomolecular process that involves degradation and recycling of cellular proteins. Yoshinori Ohsumi identified 15 autophagic genes in yeast mutants, and these genes are of prime importance in the development of treatment strategies specific for Parkinson's disease and cancer treatment.

For the Nobel Prize 2016 ceremony, Yoshinori Ohsumi was accompanied by his wife Mariko Oshumi, who appeared exuberant. While leaving for the ceremony, Yoshinori Ohsumi admitted that he was very nervous before accepting the prestigious award, reported The Asahi Shimbun. He also told the reporters at the ceremony that, "I am a little bit tense, thinking that the 'real stage' will finally come."

In the post ceremony banquet, Yoshinori Ohsumi said in his speech that, "There is no greater satisfaction as a scientist than seeing your ideas and efforts transform a field of research," reported Top Examiner.

According to a statement given by The Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, "Ohsumi's discoveries led to a new paradigm in our understanding of how the cell recycles its content. His discoveries opened the path to understanding the fundamental importance of autophagy in many physiological processes, such as in the adaptation to starvation or response to infection," and that "Mutations in autophagy genes can cause disease, and the autophagic process is involved in several conditions including cancer and neurological disease."

A ball was organized after the lavish Nobel Prize banquet, which concluded the much anticipated award ceremony for Nobel Prize 2016.