Two UK scientists awarded Nobel prize

The discovery of gene targeting in mice has changed the face of biomedicine.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine has been presented to Evans and Smithies, along with Italian scientist Mario Capecchi, for making this breakthrough.

I'm so pleased, not only for myself, for all my colleagues who've been involved in this and for the UK too.

Sir Martin Evans

Nobel Prize for Medicine winner

The $1.54m (£755,000) prize is awarded annually by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Founder of embryonic stem cells

Cardiff professor Evans is considered by many to have discovered embryonic stem cells.

The cell types initially studied by Capecchi and Smithies could not be used to create gene-targeted animals.

Evans showed how embryonic stem cells could be removed from a mouse and grown separately in the lab.

Developing new therapies

Gene targeting is now applied across the field of biomedicine and is used in the development of novel therapies.

On receiving the award Evans, who obtained his doctorate at University College London, cited it as a national honour.

“I'm so pleased, not only for myself, for all my colleagues who've been involved in this and for the UK too," he said.