Work

Hepatitis is a group of diseases that cause inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by different viruses that are transmitted through blood. After a previously unknown virus, the hepatitis C virus, had been found in hepatitis patients evidence was needed to demonstrate that this virus was alone in causing hepatitis C. In 1997, Charles Rice and other research teams succeeded with this when they were able to show that a region in the virus’s genome was crucial in causing hepatitis. The finding was an important step in developing blood tests and new medications that have saved millions of lives.