Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded To Scientists Who Discovered Hepatitis C Virus (nytimes.com) 17
Raisey-raison writes: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Dr. Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice on Monday for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, a breakthrough the Nobel committee said had "made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives." "For the first time in history, the disease can now be cured, raising hopes of eradicating hepatitis C virus from the world population," the committee said in a statement. They announced the prize at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. About 71 million people worldwide live with a chronic infection of the hepatitis C virus, a blood-borne pathogen that can cause severe liver inflammation, or hepatitis, and is typically transmitted through shared or reused needles and syringes, infected blood transfusions and sexual practices that lead to blood exposure. Tests and treatments "all start with being able to recognize the virus exists," said Craig Cameron, chair of the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a hepatitis C virus researcher.
"Sexual practices that lead to blood exposure" (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
I'm not even going to ask.
Mostly, it means anal sex. Also, in sub-Saharan Africa, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] . :-) .
Gross, but probably not as bad as the satanic blood-ritual you imagined
Hep Hep, Horray...Hep Hep, Horray! (Score:3)
Congratulations (Score:5, Interesting)
This is an amazing story. A decade ago, Hepatitis C was an incurable and chronic disease that usually resulted in permanent liver damage and severely reduced quality of life in the best cases, and death in the worst cases. Today, it can be completely eliminated from the body in 8 weeks. Further, the fibrosis on the liver caused by Hep C will reverse itself, because the liver is an amazing organ. A virus, curable.
They deserve the Nobel.
Re:Congratulations (Score:4, Informative)
You are correct that they deserve the Nobel, but the fact that it can be cured is a somewhat separate issue and largely due to the discovery of ProTide technology which should be attributed to Chris McGuigan. That technology was used by Michael Sofia to develop the first highly potent Hepatitis C drug. Incidentally remdesivir, which is one of the drugs Trump took for covid also uses that technology.
Re: (Score:2)
Absolutely true. Medical advancements are almost always a collective effort. I wouldn't be surprised if that same technology ends up solving more of the difficult viruses. Science is a good thing.
1989 discovered (Score:2)
Amazing that it takes 20 years for significance to happen for Nobel Prize -- great that it was awarded.
Even more amazing how sometime it is in the same year, before significance happens if it happens at all.
Re: (Score:3)
Even more amazing how sometime it is in the same year, before significance happens if it happens at all.
You mean like how Obama won a Nobel Peace prize for nothing more than getting elected?
Re: (Score:2)
Not that it makes any practical difference. It's more of a style thing.
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Even more amazing how sometime it is in the same year, before significance happens if it happens at all.
You mean like how Obama won a Nobel Peace prize for nothing more than getting elected?
Obama won a "Peace" Prize for continuing the same Bush-era wars while stupid citizens assume he's some kind of peacemonger. And Trump's already been nominated for one. Twice.
For now I hold a modicum of respect for the other Prizes, but the "Peace" Prize has become somewhat of a joke.
Awarding Nobel is difficult (Score:3)
It takes a while to find out how significant something actually is. In the past they have once or twice made blunders and awarded it for fake science. Also it takes some time to sort out all the controversies as to who really should be awarded the prize. For example, everyone knows they have to award a Nobel for CRISPR technology --- which many people think should obviously go to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna. However I would not want to be on the Nobel committee when they do that.
I mean, which
Re: (Score:2)
Simple. As you cannot win the Nobel Prize posthumously, you wait a few years. The list will get smaller. (And yes, I am kidding - but if they can't decide then it will be by default).
Also, there is no reason that multiple Nobel's cannot be handed out for similar but different discoveries. Look at Physics with all the prizes given to sub-atomic particle physics.