Hepatitis C virusFLICKR, AJ CANN
Microbiologist and immunologist Michael Houghton of the University of Alberta was told last week (March 20) that he would receive the Canada Gairdner International Award, often called the “baby Nobel,” The Canadian Press reported. But he refused to accept the award, which comes with $100,000, because he said that Qui-Lim Choo and George Kuo, who worked with him to identify the virus at the biotechnology firm Chiron Corporation in the 1980s, also deserved the prize.
“The three of us worked closely together for almost 7 years to discover this very elusive and challenging virus using a novel approach in the field of infectious disease,” he said in an email to The Canadian Press. “Together, we then went on to develop blood tests that protected the ...
