Nobel Prize in Medicine 2020 awarded to 3 scientists 'for discovery of Hepatitis C virus'

2020 bel Prize in Medicine has been awarded jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice “for discovery of Hepatitis C virus.” bel Foundation anunced that bel Prize has been awarded to three scientists for making a decisive contribution to fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major global health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around world.

foundation stated that 2020 Medicine Laureates’ discoveries revealed cause of remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and me possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives. According to bel Foundation, Alter’s methodical studies of transfusion-associated hepatitis demonstrated that an unkwn virus was a common cause of chronic hepatitis. While Houghton used an untested strategy to isolate geme of new virus that was named Hepatitis C virus, Rice provided final evidence showing that Hepatitis C virus alone could cause hepatitis, foundation ded. 

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Life and career

Alter was born in 1935 in New York and joined National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a clinical associate in 1961 after receiving his medical degree at University of Rochester Medical School, and training in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital and at University Hospitals of Seattle. He spent several years at Georgetown University before returning to NIH in 1969 to join Clinical Center’s Department of Transfusion Medicine as a senior investigator.

UK-born Houghton received his PhD degree in 1977 from King’s College London. He is currently a Cana Excellence Research Chair in Virology and Li Ka Shing Professor of Virology at University of Alberta where he is also Director of Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute. Rice was born in 1952 in Sacramento and received his PhD degree in 1981 from California Institute of Techlogy where he also trained as a postdoctoral fellow between 1981-1985. During 2001-2018, he was Scientific and Executive Director, Center for Study of Hepatitis C at Rockefeller University where he remains active.

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