How Jellyfish revolutionised bioscience

The Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2008 went to the researchers that discovered GFP (Green Flourescent Protein)

GFP was originally isolated from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria

Osamu Shimomura from Boston University, Martin Chalfie from Columbia University and Roger Y. Tsien from the University of California are glowing with pride after being awarded the most prestigious prize in science for the discovery of GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein). GFP is a shining example of how fundamental research in one area can lead to highly beneficial applications in another.

Osamu Shimomura originally identified GFP as the glowing component in jellyfish. Martin Chalfie used the specific protein to study the cell and Roger Tsien created an array of coloured proteins that could tag different parts of the cell allowing many biological mechanisms to be observed in tandem. 

Today, GFP is a standard tool used by thousands of researchers around the world. GFP can illuminate growing cancer tumours; show the development of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain or the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Amazingly it can even follow processes inside individual cells – by attaching a fluorescent marker to a protein, researchers can understand how cells start building new blood vessels enabling them to stop cancer tumours from acquiring a nourishing and oxygenation vessel system, preventing their growth. GFP has been a pivotal tool in the biosciences and for this reason deserves the honours of a Nobel Prize.

By Leila Sattary