The 2007 Nobel prize in medicine has been awarded to three scientists for their groundbreaking discoveries in the research of gene manipulation in mice.

The Nobel prize in medicine went to American scientists Mario Capecchi and Oliver Smithies, along with Martin Evans of Britain.

The three scientists were honored for their research into what is known as gene targeting, or gene "knockout" in mice. The technique helps scientists learn more about how modified genes affect health and disease.

Monday's Nobel prize is the first of six to be announced in the next several days.

The prize for physics will be announced Tuesday, followed by Nobel prizes for chemistry, literature and economics, as well as the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize to be announced Friday.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is widely considered a candidate for his work on global warming and his Oscar award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

Canadian environmental activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier has also been tipped as a possible candidate for her work on climate change in the Arctic।