Nobel Prize 2008

Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana

Elhuyar Zientzia

Kortabitarte Egiguren, Irati

Elhuyar Zientzia

Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz

Elhuyar Zientzia

The scientists awarded by the Nobel Foundation deserve this honor. In this, few have doubts. This year, however, a great stir has arisen when the names of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine have been announced. Not because those who will receive do not deserve it, but because, according to some, someone deserves it.
Bullicio at the Nobel Prize
01/11/2008 | Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana; Kortabitarte Egiguren, Irati; Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz | Elhuyar Zientzia Komunikazioa

(Photo: University of San Diego)
Three researchers will receive the award in the medical field. The German Harald Hausen will receive half the prize for identifying human papillomavirus and demonstrating that it is the cause of cervical cancer. The other half is aimed at French researchers Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montaigner for identifying equally the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

And the American Robert Gallo has not been awarded. However, many consider it an HIV discoverer along with Montaigner, so it does not seem fair to them that the Nobel Foundation does not grant him the prize. Montaigner himself, when he was told that he won the Novel, was surprised. The journal Science expressed its "penalty" by Robert Gallo.

Although these statements make us think about something else, these two men have spent years facing each other, discussing who was the first HIV discoverer. After the debate there was money: the benefit obtained by the patent of the AIDS diagnostic test.

Finally, in 1987, Ronald Reagan and Jacques Chirac held the debate indicating that the discoverers of the virus were equally and that the benefits of the patent would be distributed equally between the two countries. And in 2002 two researchers wrote an essay in the journal Science, where they wrote that the work of both to find the virus was essential.

However, the Nobel Foundation has decided to award the prize based on who published its first article on the discovery of the virus, and there is no doubt that the first article signed by two researchers, one is Luc Montaigner and the other, a woman who has so far been hidden. It is called Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and soon will receive the prize next to Montaigner. All merit.

Harald zur Hausen (left) German. Born in 1936. Doctor from the University of Düsseldorf and currently scientific director of the Cancer Research Center of Germany. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (in the center). French. He was born in 1947 and received a doctorate in Virology at the Pasteur Institute. He is currently director of the Retroviral Infections Regulation Unit of the same institute. Luc Montaigner (right) French. Born in 1932, he earned his doctorate in virology at the University of Paris. The discovery of HIV was made at the Pasteur Institute and is now director of the World Foundation for Research and Prevention of AIDS.
(Photo: Cancer Research Center of Germany; Institute © Pasteur)

Physiology or Medicine novel by discovery of human papillomavirus and AIDS

Harald zur Hausen, and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montaigner

The first to "discover the types of human papillomabirus causing cervical cancer" and the other two to "discover the human immunodeficiency virus"

The Novel of Physiology or Medicine will be given equally to those who identified the causes of two serious diseases. Half is directed to researcher Harald zur Hausen for identifying human papillomavirus and demonstrating that it is the cause of cervical cancer. The other half, in equal parts, is for researchers Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montaigner for identifying the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Human papillomabirus, causing uterine cancer

Human papillomabirus, on the left, and HIV particles, in green, leave a lymphocyte.
Biology Lab. Tumor Virus ; CDC
In the 1970s, Harald Zur Hausen opposed the general belief in medicine of the time, proposing that cervical cancer was caused by a virus.

After years of work, he managed to identify the human papillomabirus in the cancer cells of the cervix and realized that there are several types: some produce cancer and others do not. He differentiated between them and showed what gives the former the ability to cause cancer.

Thanks to the work carried out by Hausen, much progress has been made in the detection and prevention of cervical cancer, as currently there are vaccines that protect against the two most malignant types (genotypes 16 and 18).

HIV, which causes AIDS

A new disease was described in the United States in 1981. It was called AIDS and by various characteristics (groups of patients, lymphocyte loss, blood transmission) it was suspected that the agent had to have a retrovirus, and some groups of researchers were put in their search.

In 1983 the study of lymphocytes removed from the patients of Barré-Sinoussi and Montaigner began, cultures are made and remnants of the retrovirus are sought. Lymphocytes grown in cultures saw a reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that uses retroviruses to reproduce. In addition, they demonstrated that cultural lymphocytes released virus particles that contaminated healthy lymphocytes. This virus was isolated and known as LAV (lymphadenopathy associated virus or lymphadenopathy-related virus). Then the AIDS virus was associated and it was called HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus.

Yoichiro Nambu (left). American, born in Tokyo in 1921. In 1952 he was appointed doctor by the University of Tokyo. He is currently professor emeritus of the Enrico Fermi Institute of the University of Chicago. Makoto Kobayashi (in the center). Japanese, born in 1944. Doctor in 1972 by the University of Nagoya. He is professor emeritus at the Research Organization of High Energy Accelerators (ICC) in Tsucuba. Toshihide Maskawa (right). Japanese, born in 1940. In 1967 he obtained a doctorate degree from the University of Nagoya. He is professor emeritus of the Yukawa Institute of Theoretical Physics (YITP) at Kyoto University.
(Photo: University of Chicago; KK)

Discoveries on Symmetry Ruptures at the Nobel Prize in Physics

Yoichiro Nambu, Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa

To the first to "explain the rupture of symmetry proper to subatomic physics", and to the other two to "discover the explanation of the rupture of symmetry that preached at least three families of quarks"

The Standard Model of Physics describes the world of basic particles. According to him, elementary particles are divided into three families. But it has not always been so, to reach this model physicists have had to overcome a series of obstacles.

One of the problems was that elementary particles were supposed to comply with the laws of symmetry. But little by little the experiments showed that in some cases the symmetry was broken, which put into question the model of the time. No one knew why that was happening. And in 1972, young researchers Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa - both in calculations of quantum physics - found the solution: to understand the rupture of symmetry it was necessary to have three families of quarks.

(Photo: Fermilab)
It was a brave idea, but the Standard Model picked up those supposed quark. And then they have discovered the quarks calculated by Kobayashi and Maskawa. Now they have rewarded this idea with the Media Novel.

Origin of the Masses

Since then, the Standard Model divides the basic particles into three families. The heavier particle of the model (top quark) is 300,000 times heavier than the lighter (electron). Why this kind of difference?

Most physicists consider that the cause is another rupture of symmetry: Higgs mechanism. According to this theory, in the early phases of the universe, the Higgs mechanism broke the symmetry between forces, giving different masses to the particles.

The first stone of this theory was put by Yoichiro Nambu in 1960, when he created the idea of breaking his own symmetry. Nambu worked on the theoretical calculations of superconductivity. And later he applied the natural rupture of symmetry that occurs in this phenomenon to the world of elementary particles. His mathematical tools have been fundamental to understanding the current Standard Model. That's why Namburu has been given the other half of the prize.

Fluorescent green protein at the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Osamu Shimomura (left). Japanese. Born in 1928. Doctor of Organic Chemistry from Nagoya University of Japan in 1960. He is currently an emeritus professor at the U.S. Marine Biology Laboratory and the University of Boston. Martin Chalfie (center). American. Born in 1947. Ph.D. in neurobiology from Harvard University in 1977, he is a biology professor at Columbia University in New York. Roger Y. Tsien (right). American. Born in 1952. PhD in Physiology from the University of Cambridge in 1977. He is currently a professor at the University of San Diego of California since 1989.
(Photo: Tom Kleindinst; Eileen Barroso; University of San Diego)

Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie and Roger Y. Tsien

"For the discovery and development of fluorescent green protein (GFP)"

The fluorescent green protein (GFP) was first seen in the medusa victory in 1962. Since then, the protein is very interesting for scientists, since it is very useful for many trials. For example, it allows to observe the growth of tumors and brain development of Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, this protein can be used to know the chemical reactions that occur in cells. For this purpose, the protein adheres to the molecule that interests the scientist and emits fluorescence by absorbing light from the outside. Thus, the molecule that he wants to see remains in view of the scientist.

Medusa light

Osamu Shimomura isolated the fluorescent protein GFP from the jellyfish Aequorea victory.

(Photo: University of San Diego)
The GFP protein contains 238 amino acids, of which three (Ser65-Tyr66-Gly67) react to each other and give a special chromium. When ultraviolet or blue light collides against this GFP chromium it emits fluorescent green light. The highlight is: The GFP protein needs no other component to shine, just radiate it with ultraviolet or blue light. However, other bioluminescence proteins need molecules that provide additional energy.

After all these investigations, the American Chalfie proposed the application of the GFP protein to the activator gene of a complete process to observe the processes initiated by this activating protein. Green light would clarify all these processes.

Finally, Roger. And Tsien studied the reaction mechanism and found that replacing these three essential amino acids absorbed and emitted light from other areas of the spectrum. After several amino acid junctions, the American researcher discovered that the GFP emitted cyan, blue and yellow. Thanks to this, today, researchers can mark proteins with different colors to analyze, among other things, their interactions.

Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana; Kortabitarte Egiguren, Irati; Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz
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