The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1989

J. Michael Bishop

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/2

Harold E. Varmus

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/2

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1989 was awarded jointly to J. Michael Bishop and Harold E. Varmus "for their discovery of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes."

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1989. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. Tue. 27 Jul 2021. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1989/summary/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Learn more

Nobel Prizes 2020

Twelve laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2020, for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

Their work and discoveries range from the formation of black holes and genetic scissors to efforts to combat hunger and develop new auction formats.

See them all presented here.
Nobel Prizes 2020 graphics

Explore prizes and laureates

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