The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded today to two Americans and one Japanese for their discovery and research on a brightly glowing protein that helped scientists in their study on the spread of cancer cells.

The three winners, presented with the award by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, are Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien. Their work made it possible for scientists to follow at the same time several different biological processes.

The protein (GFP), first seen in jelly fish, is a laboratory tool usually used for the illumination processes in living organisms, which include development of brain cells and the spread of cancer cells.

According to the academy’s statement, Shimomura was the first to isolate the protein all the way back in 1962 and also the first to discover its bright green glow reaction to ultraviolet light. The officials also detailed the work of the two Americans, with Chalfie presenting during the 1990s the protein "as a luminous genetic tag," and Tsien contributing "to our general understanding of how GFP fluoresces."

"Since then, this protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary bioscience. With the aid of GFP, researchers have developed ways to watch processes that were previously invisible, such as the development of nerve cells in the brain or how cancer cells spread," stated the officials on the importance of the trio’s work, as the body’s cells produce numerous proteins in the process of regulating everything from hunger to sexual drive and also to the spread of cancer and until the discovery, the proteins’ activity was unavailable for observation.

The academy’s citation also recalled one of the special moments of the research. "In one spectacular experiment, researchers succeeded in tagging different nerve cells in the brain of a mouse with a kaleidoscope of colors."

The three will share the award, which besides medals and diplomas, involves 10 million kronor ($1.4 million). They also received an invitation to the prize ceremonies scheduled to take place on December 10 in Stockholm and Oslo.

Shimomura, even though he is 80 years old, continues with his projects and research at both the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and the Boston University Medical School. He began his work in the mid 1950s and about 20 years later released the results of his research, showing that the protein contained a certain chemical group that absorbed and emitted light.

Earlier this week, the academy presented the Nobel prizes in medicine and physics and will continue on Thursday, Friday and Monday with the awards in literature, peace and economics, all celebrated once again during December’s festivity.

The awards were established in 1895 by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, who wanted an annual event to reward the people that ''conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.'' He died in 1896 and the foundation presented its first set of awards in 1901, starting a wonderful and long lasting tradition.