Roger Guillemin, Andrew Victor Schally, Rosalyn Sussman Yalow

Research into the physiology of active substances in the 50s of the last century led to the discovery of new peptides, which were named releasing factors, or releasing hormones. The nature of these substances was studied by Roger Guillemin and Andrew Victor Schally. Within a few years, the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone was isolated, sequenced and synthesized. This discovery laid the ground for modern research on the hypothalamus. Results of animal studies were quickly translated to humans and found their use in clinical practice. The American researcher Rosalyn Sussman Yalow used radioisotopes to measure the volume of circulating blood and to study the distribution of serum proteins in body tissues, as well as to diagnose diseases of the thyroid. Subsequently, a radioimmunological method was developed, including the use of radioactive agents to track various substances in the blood plasma and other tissues. In 1977, Rosalyn Yalow was awarded half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine “for the development of radio-immunological methods for the determination of peptide hormones”. Another part of this award was shared by Roger Guillemin and Andrew Schally for a similar research on brain hormones related to “the production of peptide hormones in the brain”. Doctors around the world use the discoveries of these outstanding scientists to improve the quality of life and increase the life expectancy in millions of patients with prostate cancer.