This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/7654214.stm
The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Nobel prize for viral discoveries | Nobel prize for viral discoveries |
(10 minutes later) | |
The scientists who discovered HIV will share the Nobel prize for medicine with the expert who linked human papillpoma virus (HPV) to cervical cancer. | |
Frenchmen Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier were recognised for their groundbreaking work in uncovering the virus responsible for Aids. | Frenchmen Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier were recognised for their groundbreaking work in uncovering the virus responsible for Aids. |
Harald zur Hausen, of Germany, received the prize for making the link between the HPV and cervical cancer. | Harald zur Hausen, of Germany, received the prize for making the link between the HPV and cervical cancer. |
He received half of the prize with the Frenchmen splitting the other half. | |
In its citation, the Nobel Assembly said Barre-Sinoussi and Montagnier's discovery was vital in enabling scientists to begin to understand the biology of a virus which has killed millions of people worldwide. | |
More than 25 million people have died of HIV/AIDS since 1981. | |
Globally, over 40 million people are living with HIV. | |
The pair's work in the early 1980s made it possible to clone the HIV-1 genome. | |
"This has allowed identification of important details in its replication cycle and how the virus interacts with its host," the citation said. | |
"Furthermore, it led to development of methods to diagnose infected patients and to screen blood." | |
The assembly said zur Hausen "went against current dogma" to discover that HPV caused cervical cancer - the second most common cancer among women. | |
HPV | HPV |
About 3,000 UK women are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year UK. | About 3,000 UK women are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year UK. |
The discovery of the link between HPV and cervical cancer has led to the development of vaccines to immunise young girls against HPV. | The discovery of the link between HPV and cervical cancer has led to the development of vaccines to immunise young girls against HPV. |