Through the examination of newly released archival documents, the book critiques the Nobel Prize system in natural sciences, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses over more than a century of awards. It offers a unique historical perspective on the laureate selection process, emphasizing factors that influence scientific discoveries, including the roles of individuals and institutions. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights for researchers and anyone interested in the evolution of scientific excellence.
Focusing on groundbreaking discoveries in the natural sciences, this book explores Nobel Prizes awarded up to 1962, highlighting significant advancements in immunology and their implications for infectious disease control and organ transplantation. It emphasizes the pivotal 1962 award for the double-helix structure of DNA, marking a revolutionary moment in biology since Darwin's theory of evolution. Building on Norrby's previous work, it delves into the archives to reveal the evolution of scientific knowledge and the ongoing impact of molecular biology.
This is the third book in a series presenting Nobel Prizes in life sciences
using the remarkably rich archives of nominations and reviews which are kept
secret for 50 years after the awards have been made. The two previous books
are Nobel Prizes and Life Sciences (2010) and Nobel Prizes and Nature's
Surprises (2013).
Considerable research effort has been devoted to the prevention and therapy of AIDS using approaches which have been successful against infection with other viral or microbial agents, ie, active and passive immunization. This effort is impeded by the high variability of the HIV envelope glycoproteins, the major target for immunotherapy. This problem is analyzed in detail in this review. The immunodominant epitopes recognized by antibodies, contributing to protective immunity against HIV-1, are discussed. Epitopes recognized by helper and cytotoxic T cells, instrumental in eliciting antibody responses and cytotoxic responses against infected cells, respectively, are also described. The preparation of human monoclonal antibodies by conventional techniques and the application of recombinant DNA methods for this purpose are described in several chapters. The design of preventive and therapeutic measures against AIDS is hampered by the lack of appropriate animal model systems. Some macaque systems are susceptible to infection with HIV-2 and SIV, and develop disease after infection. The third and fourth chapters focus on these two viruses and their relevance as model systems for human AIDS.
