Nobel medicine prize awarded to 3 Europeans
06.10.2008 20:02
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Three European scientistshave won the 2008 Nobel prize for medicine for discovering the viruses that cause cervical cancer and AIDS. Harald zur Hausen of Germany won for his discovery of the human papilloma viruses that can cause cervical cancer, while Franoise Barr -Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier of France won for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. "The importance of Harald zur Hausen's discovery is that we now know HPV is a cause of cervical cancer," Jan Andersson of the Nobel advisory committee said Monday. "The identification of the high-risk types has improved screening and generated much more accuracy in the tests for risk of acquiring this malignancy." In 2006, the Gardasil vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada for the prevention of cervical cancer in girls and women ages nine to 26. The vaccine protects against the two strains of HPV that zur Hausen discovered. "I'm not prepared for this," zur Hausen, 72, of the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, told The Associated Press by telephone. "We're drinking a little glass of bubbly right now." Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which awarded the prize, said the German scientist received half of the $1.4 million US prize, while the two French scientists split the other half. Barr-Sinoussi and Montagnier were cited for identifying HIV in early and late stages of infection from lymph nodes 25 years ago. Other scientists built on that first step to learn how HIV replicates and damages cells, which led to a way to screen the blood supply and provide life-saving treatments, the citation said. "We naively thought that the discovery of the virus would allow us to quickly learn more about it, to develop diagnostic tests — which has been done — and to develop treatments, which has also been done to a large extent and, most of all, develop a vaccine that would prevent the global epidemic," Barr-Sinoussi told AP by telephone from Cambodia. Medicine is traditionally the first of the Nobel prizes to be awarded every year. Alfred Nobel, a Swedish man credited with inventing dynamite, created the prizes in his will in the areas of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. The economics prize was created by Sweden's central bank in 1968. The prizes include $1.4 million, a diploma and an invitation to the awards ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo on Dec. 10. That's the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896. Last year, the Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to American researchers Mario Capecchi and Oliver Smithies and Briton Martin Evans for their work on a technique that manipulates genes in mice. That technique has enabled scientists to study heart disease, diabetes, cancer and cystic fibrosis, among other diseases. With files from the Associated PressStory Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksIN DEPTH: Nobel PrizeIN DEPTH: AIDS, the global epidemicIN DEPTH: GardasilExternal LinksThe Nobel Prize in Medicine 2008, Nobel Foundation(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window) Health HeadlinesTraumatic brain injury common among homeless, study findsMore than half of the people who are homeless in Toronto are suffering from a traumatic brain injury, according to a new study that suggests early diagnosis and treatment may help stem the number of homeless people in major cities.Policy change delayed alarm signal over listeria, inspectors sayInspectors with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency say their hands-on role at meat plants changed with a CFIA policy introduced three months before the listeriosis outbreak.For-profit clinics double-billing: reportThe federal government has failed to enforce the Canada Health Act's requirements for equal access to hospital care, instead allowing more for-profit medical clinics over the last five years, the Ontario Health Coalition said in a report released Monday.Free drug samples for children a safety risk: studyGiving children free prescription drug samples is a marketing tool that may be unsafe, according to a study published Monday.Hamsters among exotic pets that tots should avoid: U.S. groupYoung children should not have exotic animals as pets because of the risk of disease, says a U.S. pediatrician group. Health FeaturesIN DEPTHNobel PrizeFrom Alfred's willIN DEPTHFood additivesPreservation with a risk?HEALTHPsychologyInside the endurance athlete's mindVIEWPOINTHeather MallickOn controversy, democracy and e-mailHEALTHTuberculosisAnatomy of a killerCHILD PSYCHOLOGYPoliticians' behaviourHow do we explain it to our kids?People who read this also read …
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