Forum:Nobel Prize in Medicine

Question

[Gene_MMP8]

[I apologise in advance if this is not the right place to discuss]

Very recently I came across this paper link.
Reading this, really got me thinking whether a computational biologist can ever be considered for a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Now that a lot of interesting stuff is happening in this field, is it really a possibility? My question is aimed for those people who are not practising biologists or have a formal degree in biology , but are talented folks from computer science and mathematics.

[Collin]

One such example, I believe, is the 1979 nobel prize for the development of computed tomography (CT or CAT scan).

[GenoMax]

A computational biologist could get "a turing award" which is considered Nobel equivalent for computer science (thought it is for "an individual selected for contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community" so that may make it difficult).

Then there are the "breakthrough prizes" which a scientist may be more interested in getting (more dough!).

[Jean-Karim Heriche]

Should we even care about such things ? Are such prizes meaningful given that most deserving people don't get one and that it gets harder to evaluate individual contributions ?

Answer 1

[jotan]

Of course it's possible. As long as they make a substantial contribution to Medicine.

But the list of people who never win a Nobel is much longer than the list of people who win ;)

Close but no Nobel: the scientists who never won

There are always far more people who deserve a Nobel than those who receive one, so the field is...tough.

Answer 2

[Pierre Lindenbaum]

whether a computational biologist can ever be considered for a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

N°10 : CLUSTALW

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