Sydney Brenner realized, in the early 1960s, that the
nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was an ideal model organism to study cell differentiation and organ development. This small worm has a short generation time and is transparent, which made it possible to follow cell division directly under the microscope. In 1974, Brenner demonstrated that specific gene mutations could be induced in the genome of C. elegans by the chemical compound EMS (ethyl methane sulphonate). Different mutations were linked to specific genes and to specific effects on organ development. Brenner´s discoveries, carried out in Cambridge, UK, laid the foundation for this year´s Nobel Prize.