Michael Houghton (virologist)

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Sir

Michael Houghton
Prof Michael Houghton.jpg
Born1949 (age 73–74)
Alma mater University of East Anglia (BSc)
King's College London (PhD)
Known for Hepatitis C
Hepatitis D
Awards Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award (1992)
Robert Koch Prize (1993)
William Beaumont Prize (1994)
Lasker Award (2000)
Gairdner Foundation International Award (2013 – declined)
Nobel Prize for Medicine (2020)
Scientific career
Fields Microbiology
Virology
Institutions University of Alberta
Chiron Corporation
Thesis RNA Polymerases and Transcription in the Chicken Oviduct  (1977)
Doctoral advisor James Chesterton
Website apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/mhoughto

Sir Michael Houghton (born 1949) is a British scientist and Nobel Prize laureate. Along with Qui-Lim Choo, George Kuo and Daniel W. Bradley, he co-discovered Hepatitis C in 1989. [1] He also co-discovered the Hepatitis D genome in 1986. [2] The discovery of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) led to the rapid development of diagnostic reagents to detect HCV in blood supplies, which has reduced the risk of acquiring HCV through blood transfusion from one in three to about one in two million. [3] [4] It is estimated that antibody testing has prevented at least 40,000 new infections per year in the US alone and many more worldwide. [5]

Contents

Houghton is currently Canada Excellence Research Chair in Virology and Li Ka Shing Professor of Virology at the University of Alberta, where he is also director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute. [6] He is the co-recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice. [7] [8]

Early life and education

Born in the United Kingdom in 1949, his father was a truck driver and union official. [5] He was educated at Alleyn's School. [9] At the age of 17 he became inspired to become a microbiologist after reading about Louis Pasteur. [10] [11] Houghton won a scholarship to study at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a lower second class honours degree in biological sciences in 1972, [12] and subsequently completed his PhD degree in biochemistry at King's College London in 1977. [5] [13]

Career

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020: Seminal experiments by HJ Alter, M Houghton and CM Rice leading to the discovery of HCV as the causative agent of non-A, non-B hepatitis. 15 Hegasy Nobel Prize 2020 HepC.jpg
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020: Seminal experiments by HJ Alter, M Houghton and CM Rice leading to the discovery of HCV as the causative agent of non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Houghton joined G. D. Searle & Company before moving to Chiron Corporation in 1982. It was at Chiron that Houghton together with colleagues Qui-Lim Choo and George Kuo, and Daniel W. Bradley from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, first discovered evidence for HCV. [14]

Houghton was co-author of a series of seminal studies published in 1989 and 1990 that identified hepatitis C antibodies in blood, particularly among patients at higher risk of contracting the disease, including those who had received blood transfusions. [15] [16] [17] [18] This work led to the development of a blood screening test in 1990; widespread blood screening that began in 1992 with the development of a more sensitive test has since virtually eliminated hepatitis C contamination of donated blood supplies in Canada. [19] [20] In other studies published during the same period, Houghton and collaborators linked hepatitis C with liver cancer. [21] [22] [23]

In 2013, Houghton's team at the University of Alberta showed that a vaccine derived from a single strain of Hepatitis C was effective against all strains of the virus. [24] [25] As of 2020 the vaccine was in pre-clinical trials. [26]

Honours and awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hepatitis</span> Inflammation of the liver

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Hepatitis is acute if it resolves within six months, and chronic if it lasts longer than six months. Acute hepatitis can resolve on its own, progress to chronic hepatitis, or (rarely) result in acute liver failure. Chronic hepatitis may progress to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), liver failure, and liver cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hepatitis C</span> Human viral infection

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection period, people often have mild or no symptoms. Early symptoms can include fever, dark urine, abdominal pain, and yellow tinged skin. The virus persists in the liver, becoming chronic, in about 70% of those initially infected. Early on, chronic infection typically has no symptoms. Over many years however, it often leads to liver disease and occasionally cirrhosis. In some cases, those with cirrhosis will develop serious complications such as liver failure, liver cancer, or dilated blood vessels in the esophagus and stomach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hepatology</span> Medical specialty

Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Although traditionally considered a sub-specialty of gastroenterology, rapid expansion has led in some countries to doctors specializing solely on this area, who are called hepatologists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hepatitis E</span> Human disease caused by Orthohepevirus A

Hepatitis E is inflammation of the liver caused by infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Hepatitis E has mainly a fecal-oral transmission route that is similar to hepatitis A, although the viruses are unrelated. In retrospect, the earliest known epidemic of hepatitis E occurred in 1955 in New Delhi, but the virus was not isolated until 1983 by Russian scientists investigating an outbreak in Afghanistan. HEV is a positive-sense, single-stranded, nonenveloped, RNA icosahedral virus and one of five known human hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viral hepatitis</span> Liver inflammation from a viral infection

Viral hepatitis is liver inflammation due to a viral infection. It may present in acute form as a recent infection with relatively rapid onset, or in chronic form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hepatitis C virus</span> Species of virus

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small, enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae. The hepatitis C virus is the cause of hepatitis C and some cancers such as liver cancer and lymphomas in humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiron Corporation</span> American biotechnology firm (1981-2006)

Chiron Corporation was an American multinational biotechnology firm founded in 1981, based in Emeryville, California, that was acquired by Novartis on April 20, 2006. It had offices and facilities in eighteen countries on five continents. Chiron's business and research was in three main areas: biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, and blood testing. Chiron's vaccines and blood testing units were combined to form Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, while Chiron BioPharmaceuticals was integrated into Novartis Pharmaceuticals. In 2014, Novartis completed the sale of its blood transfusion diagnostics unit to Grifols and announced agreements for the sale of its vaccines unit to GlaxoSmithKline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey J. Alter</span> American medical researcher

Harvey James Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called "non-A, non-B hepatitis" caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hepatitis B vaccine</span> Vaccine against hepatitis B

Hepatitis B vaccine is a vaccine that prevents hepatitis B. The first dose is recommended within 24 hours of birth with either two or three more doses given after that. This includes those with poor immune function such as from HIV/AIDS and those born premature. It is also recommended that health-care workers be vaccinated. In healthy people, routine immunization results in more than 95% of people being protected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hepatitis C virus envelope glycoprotein E1</span>

E1 is one of two subunits of the envelope glycoprotein found in the hepatitis C virus. The other subunit is E2. This protein is a type 1 transmembrane protein with a highly glycosylated N-terminal ectodomain and a C-terminal hydrophobic anchor. After being synthesized the E1 glycoproteins associates with the E2 glycoprotein as a noncovalent heterodimer.

A hepatitis C vaccine, a vaccine capable of protecting against the hepatitis C virus (HCV), is not yet available. Although vaccines exist for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, development of an HCV vaccine has presented challenges. No vaccine is currently available, but several vaccines are currently under development.

Stuart C. Ray is an American physician. He is Vice Chair of Medicine for Data Integrity and Analytics, Associate Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases. Ray also holds appointments in Viral Oncology and the Division of Health Sciences Informatics. He is affiliated with the Institute for Computational Medicine at Johns Hopkins and is licensed to practice medicine in Maryland.

Infections of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in children and pregnant women are less understood than those in other adults. Worldwide, the prevalence of HCV infection in pregnant women and children has been estimated to 1-8% and 0.05-5% respectively. The vertical transmission rate has been estimated to be 3-5% and there is a high rate of spontaneous clearance (25-50%) in the children. Higher rates have been reported for both vertical transmission. and prevalence in children (15%).

Qui-Lim Choo is a Singapore-born scientist, who along with Michael Houghton, George Kuo and Daniel W. Bradley, co-discovered and cloned Hepatitis C in 1989. He also co-discovered the Hepatitis D genome in 1986. The discovery of Hepatitis C led to the rapid development of diagnostic reagents to detect Hepatitis C virus in blood supplies which has reduced the risk of acquiring hepatitis C through blood transfusion from one in three to about one in two million. It is estimated that antibody testing has prevented at least 40,000 new infections per year in the US alone and many more worldwide.

Daniel W. Bradley is an important American virologist who, along with Michael Houghton, Qui-Lim Choo and George Kuo at Chiron Corporation, worked to help isolate the Hepatitis C virus in 1989. He graduated from San José State University in 1964 before going on to receive a master's degree in biochemistry from the University of California and a doctorate from the University of Arizona. He worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention starting in 1971. He received the Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award of the American Association of Blood Banks in 1992, the Robert Koch Prize in 1993, and the Gairdner Foundation International Award in 2013.

George Ching-Hung Kuo is a Taiwanese-born scientist, who along with Michael Houghton, Qui-Lim Choo and Daniel W. Bradley, co-discovered and cloned the hepatitis C virus in 1989.

Stephen Mark Feinstone is a virologist who, together with Albert Kapikian and Robert Purcell, co-identified the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles M. Rice</span> American virologist

Charles Moen Rice is an American virologist and Nobel Prize laureate whose main area of research is the hepatitis C virus. He is a professor of virology at the Rockefeller University in New York City and an adjunct professor at Cornell University and Washington University School of Medicine. At the time of the award he was a faculty at Rockefeller.

HPgV-2 is the second human pegivirus discovered. It was first identified in 2005 in blood of transfusion recipients and initially named hepegivirus 1 because it shared some genetic features with both pegiviruses and hepaciviruses. HPgV-2 was later independently discovered by another group in the blood of a HCV-infected patient who had undergone multiple blood transfusions and died from sepsis of unclear etiology. It was then named human pegivirus 2. HPgV-2 is now classified in the pegivirus genus as part of Pegivirus H species.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the American virologists Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice "for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus." During the award ceremony on December 10, 2020, Prof. Gunilla Karlsson-Hedestam said:

"The discovery of the Hepatitis C virus by this year’s Laureates laid the foundation for our current understanding about how the virus survives in its niche during the long chronic phase of the infection, and how liver disease develops. And importantly, it led to the development of highly effective anti-viral medicines that now cure the infection in almost all treated persons."

References

  1. ↑ Choo QL, Kuo G, Weiner AJ, Overby LR, Bradley DW, Houghton M (April 1989). "Isolation of a cDNA clone derived from a blood-borne non-A, non-B viral hepatitis genome". Science. 244 (4902): 359–62. Bibcode:1989Sci...244..359C. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.469.3592 . doi:10.1126/science.2523562. PMID   2523562.
  2. ↑ Wang, KS; Choo, QL; Weiner, AJ; Ou, JH; Najarian, RC; Thayer, RM; Mullenbach, GT; Denniston, KJ; Gerin, JL; Houghton, M (9 October 1986). "Structure, sequence and expression of the hepatitis delta (delta) viral genome". Nature. 323 (6088): 508–14. Bibcode:1986Natur.323..508W. doi:10.1038/323508a0. PMID   3762705. S2CID   4265339.
  3. ↑ "Opinion: Nobel-worthy discovery right in our backyard". Canadian for Health Research. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Semeniuk, Ivan (20 March 2013). "Science world abuzz as virologist turns down Gairdner award". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Thompson, Gilbert (2014). Pioneers of Medicine Without a Nobel Prize. p. 209. ISBN   978-1-78326-386-8.
  6. ↑ "MMI Faculty – Michael Houghton, PhD" . Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Press release: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Wu, Katherine J.; Victor, Daniel (5 October 2020). "Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to Scientists Who Discovered Hepatitis C Virus – Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice were jointly honored for their decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major global health problem". The New York Times . Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Congratulations to a Nobel Prize Laureate". Alleyn's School . Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Michael Houghton, PhD". Canadians for Health Research. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Eureka moments in research". Alberta Innovates: Health Solutions. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Nobelist: keep faith, because Covid vaccine is just round corner". Times Higher Education . 21 October 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  13. ↑ Boyer, J.L; Blum, H.E; Maier, K.P; Sauerbruch, T.; Stalder, G.A (31 March 2001). Liver Cirrhosis and Its Development – Google Books. ISBN   978-0-7923-8760-2 . Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  14. ↑ Houghton, M (2009). "The long and winding road leading to the identification of the hepatitis C virus". J. Hepatol. 51 (5): 939–948. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2009.08.004 . PMID   19781804.
  15. ↑ Kuo, G; Choo, Q-L; Alter, HJ; Gitnick, GI; Redeker, AG; Purcell, RH; Miyamura, T; Dienstag, JL; Alter, MJ; Stevens, CE; Tegtmeier, GE; Bonino, F; Colombo, M; Lee, W-S; Kuo, C; Berger, K; Shuster, JR; Overby, LR; Bradley, DW; Houghton, M (1989). "An assay for circulating antibodies to a major etiologic virus of human non-A, non-B hepatitis". Science. 244 (4902): 362–364. Bibcode:1989Sci...244..362K. doi:10.1126/science.2496467. PMID   2496467.
  16. ↑ Esteban, JI; Viladomiu, L; Bonzalez, A; Roget, M; Genesca, J; Guardia, J; Esteban, R; Lopez-Talavera, JC; Hernandez, JM; Vargas, V; Buti, M; Kuo, G; Choo, Q-L; Houghton, M (1989). "Hepatitis C virus antibodies among risk groups in Spain". Lancet. 334 (8658): 294–297. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(89)90485-6. PMID   2569102. S2CID   23825621.
  17. ↑ Van Der Poel, CL; Ressink, HW; Lelie, PN; Leentvaar-Kuypers, A; Choo, Q-L; Kuo, G; Houghton, M (1989). "Anti-hepatitis C antibodies and non-A, non-B post-transfusion hepatitis in the Netherlands". Lancet. 334 (8658): 297–298. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(89)90486-8. PMID   2569103. S2CID   25211687.
  18. ↑ Alter, HJ; Purcell, RH; Shih, JW; Melpolder, JC; Houghton, M; Choo, Q-L; Kuo, G (1989). "Detection of antibody to hepatitis C virus in prospectively followed transfusion recipients with acute and chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis". N. Engl. J. Med. 321 (22): 1494–1500. doi:10.1056/nejm198911303212202. PMID   2509915.
  19. ↑ Cha, T-A; Kolberg, J; Irvine, B; Stempien, M; Beall, E; Yano, M; Choo, Q-L; Houghton, M; Kuo, G; Han, JH; Urdea, MS (1991). "Use of a signature nucleotide sequence of hepatitis C virus for detection of viral RNA in human serum and plasma". J. Clin. Microbiol. 29 (11): 2528–2534. doi:10.1128/JCM.29.11.2528-2534.1991. PMC   270367 . PMID   1663510.
  20. ↑ Bresters, D; Cuypers, HT; Reesink, HW; Schaasberg, WP; van der Poel, CL; Mauser-Bunschoten, EP; Houghton, M; Choo, Q-L; Kuo, G; Lesniewski, R; Troonen, H; Lelie, PN (1992). "Enhanced sensitivity of a second generation ELISA for antibody to hepatitis C virus". Vox Sang. 62 (4): 213–217. doi:10.1111/j.1423-0410.1992.tb01201.x. PMID   1379394. S2CID   20178902.
  21. ↑ Hasan, F; Jeffers, L; de Medina, M; Reddy, R; Parker, T; Schiff, E; Houghton, M; Choo, Q-L; Kuo, G (1989). "Hepatitis C HCV associated hepatocellular carcinoma". Hepatology. 10 (4): 589–91. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840100432 . PMID   2169456.
  22. ↑ De Bisceglie, AM; Alter, H; Kuo, G; Houghton, M; Hoofnagle, JH (1989). "Detection of antibody to hepatitis C virus in patients with various chronic liver diseases". Hepatology. 10 (4): 581. doi: 10.1002/hep.1840100432 .
  23. ↑ Saito, I; Miyamura, T; Ohbayashi, A; Harada, H; Katayama, T; Kikuchi, S; Watanabe, Y; Koi, S; Onji, M; Ohta, Y; Choo, Q-L; Houghton, M; Kuo, G (1990). "Hepatitis C virus infection is associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 87 (17): 6547–6549. Bibcode:1990PNAS...87.6547S. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.17.6547 . PMC   54573 . PMID   2168552.
  24. ↑ Law, JL; Chen, C; Wong, J; Hockman, D; Santer, DM; Frey, SE; Belshe, RB; Wakita, T; Bukh, J; Jones, CT; Rice, CM; Abrignani, S; Tyrrell, DL; Houghton, M. (19 March 2013). "A hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine comprising envelope glycoproteins gpE1/gpE2 derived from a single isolate elicits broad cross-genotype neutralizing antibodies in humans". PLOS ONE. 8 (3): e59776. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...859776L. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059776 . PMC   3602185 . PMID   23527266.
  25. ↑ Houghton, M; Law, J; Tyrrell, DL (2013). "An inactivated hepatitis C virus vaccine on the horizon?". Gastroenterology. 145 (2): 285–288. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.06.029 . PMID   23806539.
  26. ↑ "University of Alberta virologist awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  27. ↑ Karl Landsteiner Memorial Award 1992
  28. ↑ Robert Koch Prize 1993
  29. ↑ William Beaumont Prize 1994
  30. ↑ Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award 2000
  31. ↑ "List of Past AABB Award Recipients". aabb.org. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  32. ↑ "The William H. Prusoff HEP DART Lifetime Achievement Award". Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  33. ↑ "World-renowned virologist named recipient of Gairdner Award". 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  34. ↑ Boesveld, Sarah (20 March 2013). "Edmonton scientist turns down $100,000 'baby Nobel' because it shut out colleagues" . Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  35. ↑ "A Titanic actor, climate change trailblazer and banking boss: Meet UEA's newest honorary graduates". Eastern Daily Press . 11 June 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  36. ↑ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B2.
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