Just now, the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced!

2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced at 5:34 p.m. Beijing time on Oct. 5. American and British scientists Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice were honored for their "discovery of the hepatitis C virus."
this year's Nobel Prize single prize increased to 10 million Swedish kronor (about 7.6 million yuan), an increase of 1 million Swedish kronor over 2019.The groundbreaking discoveries of Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice led to the identification of a new virus, hepatitis C. Prior to their work, the discovery of hepatitis A and B viruses was an important advance, but most cases of blood-based hepatitis remain unspeealable. The discovery of the hepatitis C virus has saved millions of lives by revealing the causes of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and making blood tests and new drugs possible.
J. Alter, was born in New York in 1935. He currently works for the National Institutes of Health. Michael Houghton, born in england. Currently at the University of Alberta, Canada. Charles M. Rice was born in Sacramento, California, in 1952 and currently works at Rockefeller University in the United States. All three will be divided into SEK 10 million.Figure 1 There are two main forms of hepatitis. One form of acute disease caused by the hepatitis A virus transmitted by contaminated water or food. Another form is caused by the hepatitis B virus or the hepatitis C virus (this year's Nobel Prize). This form of blood-based hepatitis is usually a chronic disease that may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.key to successful intervention in infectious diseases is to determine the cause. In the 1960s, Baruch Blumberg determined that a blood-borne hepatitis was caused by a virus called hepatitis B virus, a finding that led to diagnostic tests and the development of effective vaccines. Blumberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1976 for the discovery.
, Harvey J. Alter, who works at the National Institutes of Health, was studying the incidence of hepatitis in blood transfusion patients. Although blood tests for the newly discovered hepatitis B virus have reduced the number of cases of blood transfusion-related hepatitis, Alter and colleagues have shown worryingly that a large number of cases still exist. During this period, testing for hepatitis A virus infection has also been developed, and it is clear that hepatitis A is not the cause of these unknown cases.
of people receiving blood transfusions develop chronic hepatitis as a result of an unknown source of infection, which is a matter of great concern. Alter and his colleagues found that the blood of these hepatitis patients may transmit the disease to chimpanzees, which are the only susceptible hosts other than humans. Subsequent studies have also shown that unknown sources of infection are characterized by viruses. Alter's systematic research defines a new and unique chronic viral hepatitis in this way. The mysterious disease later became known as "non-A, non-B" hepatitis.to identify this new virus has become a top priority. All traditional virus search techniques have been used, but the virus has not been isolated for more than a decade. Michael Houghton, who works for chiron, a pharmaceutical company, has taken on the difficult task of isolating the genetic sequences of viruses. Houghton and colleagues collected a set of DNA fragments from nucleic acids found in the blood of an infected chimpanzee. Most of these fragments come from chimpanzees' own genomes, but researchers predict that some may have come from the unknown virus. Assuming that hepatitis patients have antiviral antibodies in their blood, the researchers used the patient's serum to identify fragments of cloned viral DNA that encode viral proteins. After a thorough search, a positive clone was found. Further studies show that the clone comes from a new RNA virus belonging to the yellow virus family, named hepatitis C virus. The presence of antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis strongly suggests that the virus is a missing pathogen.the discovery of the hepatitis C virus is decisive. But a key part of the puzzle has been missed: Can a virus alone cause hepatitis? To answer this question, scientists must investigate whether cloned viruses can replicate and cause disease. Charles M. Rice and other teams studying RNA viruses have noted that there is a previously unrecognized region at the end of the hepatitis C virus genome, which they suspect may be important for virus replication. Rice also observed genetic mutations in isolated virus samples, some of which he speculated might hinder virus replication. Through genetic engineering, Rice produced RNA variants of the hepatitis C virus, including newly defined viral genomic regions, and a lack of inflamed gene variants. When the RNA was injected into the chimpanzee's liver, the virus was detected in their blood and pathological changes similar to those of humans with the disease were observed. This proves that the hepatitis C virus alone can lead to unexplained cases of blood transfusion-mediated hepatitis.year's Nobel Laureate's discovery of the hepatitis C virus is a landmark discovery in the fight against viral diseases. As a result of their findings, highly sensitive blood-testing viruses have been implemented, eliminating post-transfusion hepatitis in many parts of the world and greatly improving global health. Their findings also allow for the rapid development of antiviral drugs for hepatitis C. Hepatitis C has been cured for the first time in history, bringing hope for the eradication of the hepatitis C virus. To achieve this goal, global efforts will be needed to promote blood testing and the provision of antiviral drugs.the three Nobel laureates made it possible to design sensitive blood tests, eliminating the risk of blood transfusions of hepatitis in most parts of the world. This breakthrough has also contributed to the success of the development of antiviral drugs. Hepatitis C remains an important global health issue, but there is now an opportunity to eliminate the disease.2019 - William G. Kaelin Jr., Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza, three U.S. and British scientists, won the award for "discovering how cells perceive and adapt to the availability of oxygen."
2018 - U.S. scientist James P. Allision and Japanese scientist Tasuku Honjo are awarded for "the discovery of cancer therapies that inhibit negative immunomodulation."
2017 - Three American scientists, Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young, are awarded for "discovering molecular mechanisms that regulate circadian rhythms."
2016 - Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi is awarded for "discovering the autophagy mechanism of cells."
2015 - Chinese scientist Tu Tu yu wins the award for "Discovery of New Treatments for Malaria" and two other award-winning scientists are William C. Campbell of Ireland and Satoshi ōmura of Japan for "Discovery of New Treatments for Parasite Infections of Aphids".- from 1901 to 2019, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded 110 times. The nine years not issued were 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1921, 1925, 1940, 1941, 1942.
- from 1901 to 2019, 219 people won.
39 of the 110 awards were individual winners, 33 were shared by 2 people and 38 by 3 people.
the youngest winner was Canadian scientist Frederick G. Banting, who was awarded the "Discovery insulin" award in 1923 at the age of 32.
, the oldest winner, was American scientist Peyton Rous, who died in 1966 at the age of 87 after "discovering a tumor-induced virus."
12 of the 219 Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine are women. They are Gerty Cori in 1947, Rosalyn Yalow in 1977, Barbara McClintock in 1983, Rita Levi-Montalcini in 1986, Gertrude B. Elion, Christiane Nüslein-Volhard in 1995, Linda B. Buck in 2004, Francese Barré-Sinoussi in 2008, Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Carol W. Greider in 2009, May-Britt Moser in 2014, and Slaughter in 2015.