2020年諾貝爾生理學或醫(yī)學獎揭曉

Three scientists who played central roles in the discovery of the hepatitis C virus have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020.

2020年諾貝爾生理學或醫(yī)學獎近日揭曉，獲獎者是三位在發(fā)現(xiàn)丙型肝炎病毒的過程中做出重大貢獻的科學家。

This prize will be shared by Michael Houghton, from the United Kingdom, and United States scientists Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice, who all made notable contributions toward the discovery of the blood-borne virus that causes chronic liver problems.

這個獎項將由英國科學家邁克爾·霍頓以及美國科學家哈維·J·阿爾特和查爾斯·M·賴斯分享，他們都為發(fā)現(xiàn)導致慢性肝臟問題的血源性丙型肝炎病毒做出了卓越貢獻。

Alter demonstrated in the 1970s that some people who received blood transfusions would develop cases of hepatitis that were not caused by the hepatitis A or B viruses, suggesting that another infectious agent was to blame.

阿爾特在20世紀70年代證明，一些接受輸血的人會患上不是由甲型或乙型肝炎病毒引起的肝炎，這表明另一種感染源是罪魁禍首。

In the 1980s, Houghton managed to isolate the genetic sequence of the virus, while Rice proved that the pathogen could replicate and cause infection.

在20世紀80年代，霍頓成功地分離出了丙型肝炎病毒的基因序列，而賴斯則證明了這種病原體可以復制并引起感染。

The World Health Organization estimates that around 71 million people worldwide live with hepatitis C, which can cause major liver complications and, in some cases, death.

據(jù)世界衛(wèi)生組織估計，全世界大約有7100萬人患有丙型肝炎，丙型肝炎會導致嚴重的肝臟并發(fā)癥，在某些情況下甚至會導致死亡。

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, which is the Stockholm-based body that oversees the awards, said the three researchers had contributed to a "landmark achievement in the ongoing battle against viral diseases".

斯德哥爾摩卡羅林斯卡學院的諾貝爾獎大會稱，這三位研究人員為“抗擊病毒性肝炎的一項里程碑式的成就”做出了貢獻。卡羅林斯卡學院負責評審和頒發(fā)諾貝爾生理學或醫(yī)學獎。

 

 

"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 said in a statement. "Thanks to their discovery, highly sensitive blood tests for the virus are now available and these have essentially eliminated post-transfusion hepatitis in many parts of the world, greatly improving global health."

大會在一份聲明中說：“丙型肝炎病毒的發(fā)現(xiàn)揭示了其余慢性肝炎病例的病因，使驗血和研制新藥成為可能，從而挽救了數(shù)百萬人的生命。由于他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)，現(xiàn)在可以對病毒進行高度敏感的血液檢測，這基本上消除了世界許多地區(qū)的輸血后肝炎，極大地改善了全球健康。”

The assembly said that the discoveries performed by the newly minted Nobel Laureates also allowed for the rapid development of antiviral drugs directed at hepatitis C.

大會說，這些新諾貝爾獎得主的發(fā)現(xiàn)也為快速開發(fā)針對丙型肝炎的抗病毒藥物創(chuàng)造了條件。

"For the first time in history, the disease can now be cured, raising hopes of eradicating hepatitis C virus from the world population," the statement said.

該聲明說：“丙型肝炎在歷史上首次得以治愈，為在全人類中根除丙型肝炎病毒帶來了希望。”

The award for physiology and medicine is the first of the Nobel Prizes to be handed out this year, with prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics to follow during the next seven days.

生理學或醫(yī)學獎是今年頒發(fā)的第一個諾貝爾獎項，接下來的七天里還將頒發(fā)物理學獎、化學獎、文學獎、和平獎和經(jīng)濟學獎。