Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1978

Werner Arber

Photo: Universal Pictorial Press and Agency. Nobel Foundation archive

Prize share: 1/3

Daniel Nathans

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/3

Hamilton O. Smith

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/3

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1978 was awarded jointly to Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans and Hamilton O. Smith "for the discovery of restriction enzymes and their application to problems of molecular genetics"

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1978. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Fri. 5 Dec 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1978/summary/>

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 14 laureates' work and discoveries range from quantum tunnelling to promoting democratic rights.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.