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Germany’s Harald zur Hausen and France’s Luc Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi share the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded October 6th.
Barre-Sinoussi and Montagnier discovered HIV. Shortly after reports in the early 1980s of a new immunodeficiency syndrome, researchers all over the world raced to find the cause. The two French scientists cultured cells from lymph nodes of patients. They first detected the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which meant that a retrovirus was active. Further searching turned up retroviral particles, which could kill white blood cells and which also reacted with antibodies from infected patients. These discoveries made possible unprecedented rapid development of blood screening techniques and of new antiviral therapies.
Zur Hausen defied the medical establishment and postulated in the 1970s that cervical cancer was caused by the human papilloma virus. He was able to isolate viral DNA in tumors. He also determined that there were multiple kinds of papilloma viruses, and that only some caused cancer. His discovery led to the development of a vaccine against cervical cancer.
—Steve Mirsky
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2 Comments
Add CommentHPV causes cervical cancer. HIV infection causes infected women have higher rate of cervical cancer than HIV negative women. This award encourages scientists working both in the tumor virology and vaccinology.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI had the privilege to work with both Dr. Barre-Sinoussi in Paris at the Pasteur Institute and Prof. Luc Montagnier in New York (Cuny). They are awsome personalities and their contribution to Science is indeniable.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI had the pleasure and the privilege to be PhD student in a lab in the South of France which organized an European Workshop about Human Cancer. Scientists came from all over Europe (and some from the States). I had been assigned to pick up Mr Zhur Haussen from Montpellier's airport. It was an awsome moment to drive him back to the lab (30 min tete-a-tete) and have him question me and discuss with me my humble PhD results. (was young at the time 26 years old). Inoubliable. Tales to tell to my kids.
Dr. Meryem Bencheikh-Ellis