Three scientists share Nobel prize for medicine
06 Oct 2008
Three scientists- Harald zur Hausen of Germany, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier of France shared the 2008 Nobel prize for medicine for identifying two viruses that cause fatal human diseases, it was announced in Stockholm on Monday.
While Barré-Sinoussi, of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, and Montagnier, director of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention were cited for their discovery of HIV, which causes AIDS, Zur Hausen was awarded for finding human papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer, Sweden's Karolinska Institute said.
Half of the the prize money of 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.4 million) will be awarded to the German scientist and the other half will be shared by the two French researchers.
Barré-Sinoussi is the seventh woman to win the prize for medicine ever since the establishment of Nobel prizes in 1901.
The prize money and a diploma will be given away in Stockholm on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.in 1896.