Nobel awards adapt to challenging times

Work spans decades

On Oct 5, three scientists－two US citizens and a Briton－won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of the hepatitis C virus.

The work by Harvey Alter and Charles Rice from the US, and Michael Houghton from the UK, spanned decades and helped limit the spread of the fatal disease and to develop drugs to cure it.

The World Health Organization estimates that about 71 million people worldwide live with hepatitis C, which can cause major liver complications and, in some cases, death.

The scientists' discoveries mean there is now a chance of eradicating the hepatitis C virus.

Rice, 68, told reporters, "To go from basically the beginning part of this discovery to when it (the infection) can be successfully treated－this is kind of a rare treat for a basic scientist."

Advances in gene sequencing would make it possible for researchers to achieve "spectacular" progress toward developing treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, Rice said.

In the 1970s, Alter demonstrated that some people who received blood transfusions developed cases of hepatitis that were not caused by the hepatitis A or B viruses, suggesting that another infectious agent was to blame.

In the mid-1980s, a team led by Houghton－then working for the pharmaceuticals company Chiron－created a clone of a new virus from fragments found in the blood of an infected chimpanzee.

The disease it causes was named hepatitis C. Its identification made it possible to develop tests to screen blood bank supplies and greatly reduce the spread of the disease, which can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.

The Nobel Committee said: "The Nobel laureates' discovery of the hepatitis C virus is a landmark achievement in the ongoing battle against viral diseases. Thanks to their discovery, highly sensitive blood tests for the virus are now available and these have essentially eliminated post-transfusion hepatitis in many parts of the world, greatly improving global health".