For centuries, onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, had plagued remote communities in Africa, Latin America, and Yemen. Lifelines for villagers, the rivers are breeding grounds for black flies that, when infected with a parasitic worm, transmit the disease through repeated biting. In return, those infected transfer the disease to uninfected flies who bite them, … [Read more...] about Hall of Fame:
Dr. William C. Campbell
William Campbell
Hall of Fame:
A Reflection on Simplicity
The Irish-born biologist and parasitologist William Cecil Campbell, who was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine, talks to Patricia Harty. For those of us fortunate enough to turn a simple tap to take a nice relaxing bath or long hot shower, it’s hard to imagine risking the loss of your eyesight for a single bucket of water. But for centuries, onchocerciasis, commonly … [Read more...] about A Reflection on Simplicity
William Campbell’s Nobel Prize
Donegal native Dr. William Campbell was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work on a drug that fights roundworm-related infections. He and his colleague, Professor Satoshi Omura, shared this year’s award for their work in discovering Ivermectin, which has drastically reduced occurrences of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis (commonly known as elephantiasis … [Read more...] about William Campbell’s Nobel Prize