[ad_1]
This year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to Harvey J. Alter (United States), Michael Houghton (Great Britain) and Charles M. Rice (United States) for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. The Karolinska Institute announced Monday in Stockholm. Thanks to the discoveries made by the three award winners, hepatitis C can now be cured, he said.
The three scientists found the cause of the chronic hepatitis cases and allowed blood tests and new drugs that would have saved millions of lives.
The award is given “to three researchers who have played a key role in the fight against blood-borne hepatitis. The disease is a major global health problem and has caused cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world.” said the Nobel Committee.
Ten million Swedish crowns
This year’s top award for medical professionals is SEK 10 million (around € 950,000), a million crowns more than last year.
Since 1901, 219 people have received the Nobel Prize in Medicine, including twelve women. The first went to the German bacteriologist Emil Adolf von Behring for the discovery of a therapy against diphtheria. 25 years ago, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard was the first German woman to receive this award.
Last year they received the award William Kaelin (USA), Peter Ratcliffe (Great Britain) and Gregg Semenza (USA). They had discovered how cells perceive and adapt to oxygen levels.
The physics and chemistry award winners will be named on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be announced on Thursday who will receive this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature and on Friday who will receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The series of announcements ends on the following Monday, October 12 with the so-called Nobel Prize in Economics donated by the Swedish Reichsbank.
The award ceremony for all awards is traditionally held on December 10, the anniversary of the death of the donor of the Alfred Nobel Prize.
