The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute on October 5, 2020 announced to award the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to American scientists Harvey Alter and Charles Rice, and Michael Houghton of the UK.
- This year’s Nobel Prize is awarded to three scientists who have made a decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major global health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world.
- The trio scientists made seminal discoveries that led to the identification of a novel virus, Hepatitis C virus.
- Liver inflammation, or hepatitis is mainly caused by viral infections, although alcohol abuse, environmental toxins and autoimmune disease are also important causes.
- Hepatitis A is transmitted by polluted water or food and generally has little long-term impact on the patient.
- The second type or Hepatitis A is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids and represents a much more serious threat since it can lead to a chronic condition, with the development of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
- Since the discovery and identification of the virus in the 1970s and 1980s, a cure has been found for the disease, and effective anti-viral drugs are now available.
- RNA virus belonging to the Flavivirus family was named Hepatitis C virus.
(Source: Nobel prize committee)
