Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009

Elizabeth H. Blackburn

© The Nobel Foundation. Photo: U. Montan

Prize share: 1/3

Carol W. Greider

© The Nobel Foundation. Photo: U. Montan

Prize share: 1/3

Jack W. Szostak

© The Nobel Foundation. Photo: U. Montan

Prize share: 1/3

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009 was awarded jointly to Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak "for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Sun. 22 Jun 2025. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2009/summary/>

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

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Nobel Prizes 2024

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

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.