Karolinska Institute declared on October 5, 2020 (Beijing time) that, HARVEY J. ALTER, MICHAEL HOUGHTON and CHARLES M. RICE have been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

 

Source: NobelPrize.org

 

Liver, an important metabolic and detoxifying organ, is often attacked by viruses. We discovered there were at least two types of hepatitis in the 1940s. By the 1970s, we identified the causes for the two types of hepatitis: hepatitis A virus and Hepatitis B virus.

 

Source: Guokr.com

 

In the 1970s, Harvey James Alter discovered that there was no hepatitis A or Hepatitis B in some hepatitis patients, indicating that there could be another hepatitis virus remaining undiscovered.

Alter called it "neither hepatitis A nor B," and hepatitis C virus was discovered later.

So how was it further discovered?

Michael Horton infected chimpanzees with hepatitis C virus, obtained a bunch of genetic fragments in its blood, and then "fished" out the virus using antibodies from the serum of people infected with hepatitis C. He named the new virus hepatitis C virus.

Then, Charles M Rice caught the relay baton, who found the symptoms of hepatitis in a chimpanzee injected with artificially constructed HEPATITIS C RNA in the liver, as well as hepatitis C virus in its blood, which proved that hepatitis C virus alone could cause blood-borne hepatitis.

Source: Guokr.com

 

As a result of their findings, we can perform highly sensitive blood tests for the virus, and such tests have virtually eliminated transfusional hepatitis in many regions of the world.

Moreover, their findings were also beneficial to the rapid development of antiviral drugs for hepatitis C, making the disease curable for the first time, and bringing hope to scientists to eradicate the virus from the world population.

 

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to American scientist JENNIFER A.DOUDNA and French scientist EMMANUELLE CHARPENTIER for their contributions in genome editing on October 7, 2020 (Beijing time).

 

Source: NobelPrize.org

 

Now, let us take two minutes to understand what genome editing is.

This is a story about the battle between bacteria and viruses. Viruses often attack bacteria and inject their own DNA into bacteria, which will kill bacteria.

So, bacteria have evolved a defense system specifically to deal with this over the long course of evolution, namely, the CRISPR/CAS system.

Watch the video to have an understanding of CRISPR in two minutes:

 

Source: Guokr.com

 

The two scientists developed one of the sharpest tools in gene engineering: CRISPR/CAS9 "gene scissors". Investigators can alter the DNA of animals, plants and microbes in an extremely precision manner based on these techniques.

What are CRISPR gene scissors? Let's watch the science popularization video of www.kepu.net.cn

 

 

In the past, it was essential for people to modify the genes in cells to discover the internal working principle of life, but it was a time-consuming, difficult and almost impossible task.

Now, the life cycle of an organism can be alerted in a matter of weeks.

"Since the discovery of CRISPR/CAS9 gene scissors in 2012, we have witnessed the explosive growth of their use. The tool has contributed to many important discoveries in fundamental studies, and botanists have developed crops that are resistant to mold, pests and drought using it."

"The technology has revolutionized the life sciences, which could help investigators to develop new cancer therapies and make the dream of curing genetic diseases a reality" according to the official website of Nobel Prize.

 

Source: Biodiscover

 

Gene scissors have brought life science into a brand new era, benefiting every one of us.

Nobel Prize Winners' discovery of hepatitis C virus was a landmark achievement in the ongoing fight against viral diseases. "Gene scissors", a genetic tool with enormous power, will benefit us all.

Nobel Prize is recognition for the achievements of scientists. Nobel Prize, though remote for ordinary people, is an opportunity for us to understand science and disease, so we also benefit from their research results.

Salute to all scientists!

This article integrates the information from Biomart.cn,

360zhyx.com, Biodiscover.com, and Guokr.com