Mon 05 October 2020:
The Nobel Committee has awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, one of the most common causes of liver cancer.
Americans Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice, and Briton Michael Houghton were awarded the prize for “a landmark achievement in our ongoing battle against viral infections,” the Nobel Assembly said.
The scientists 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 Assembly said.
Before the findings of their research in the 1970s, discoveries of the hepatitis A virus—transmitted via polluted water or food—and hepatitis B—transmitted via the blood—had been critical steps forward, but most blood-borne hepatitis cases were still unexplained. Blood-borne hepatitides are more insidious and pose a more serious threat to health.
In a significant proportion of affected individuals, the infection becomes chronic, which can lead to liver failure and cancer. “The discovery of hepatitis C virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives,” the Assembly added.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Assembly, said, “It’s hard to find something that is of such benefit to mankind,” as the work done for this year’s prize. “It’s the discovery of a virus that has led to improvements for millions of people around the world,” he said.
