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ADVICE ON HIV IN ARMENIA SCORES EUREKA PRIZE
WA today, Australia
Sept 5 2013
National Sci-Tech
by Nicky Phillips
A Sydney researcher who convinced a small eastern European country
to treat its HIV patients with life-saving drugs instead of an
unproven local medicine was one of the researchers honoured at the
2013 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes on Wednesday night.
Before the University of NSW's David Wilson started working in Armenia
many of the country's HIV patients were dying from disease-related
infections, a trend that had been reversed around the world since
the development of antiretroviral drugs in the mid-'90s.
"It reminded me of what was happening here in Australia in the 1980s
when we didn't have any treatments," said the epidemiologist, who
has a background in medicine and economics.
Since Dr Wilson, who works with governments from low- to middle-income
countries to manage epidemics, convinced the Armenians to start using
proven therapies in 2011 the country's AIDS-related deaths have fallen
from about 34 per cent of those with the disease to 0.3 per cent.
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'~QA lot of pride was at stake for them because they'd put a lot of
money and resources around their drug,'~R he said.
For the global impact of his research, Dr Wilson, an associate
professor, was awarded the Eureka Prize for emerging leader in science
at a gala dinner at Sydney's Town Hall.
In Australia, Dr Wilson has also demonstrated the health and economic
benefits of needle-exchange programs, which resulted in clinics being
set up around the country.
'~QI often don't see the people [my work] influences or affects but I
see the bigger picture - the shifts in policy, the changes in funding
that change the health of the population - and I get tremendous
satisfaction from that,'~R he said.
Others awarded at the annual prizes included a team who developed
a program to encourage farmers to plant native shrubs for livestock
feed. The Enrich project team, led by CSIRO, found grazing livestock
on native plants could improve a farmer's profitability by up to
24 per cent in low- to medium-rainfall areas, as well as decrease
greenhouse gas emissions and erosion.
Two-time Eureka prize winner and evolutionary biologist Rick Shine,
from the University of Sydney, was honoured for mentoring young
researchers and UNSW's Rob Brooks, also an evolutionary biologist,
was awarded for promoting the understanding of science with his
award-winning book, Sex, Genes and Rock 'n' Roll, as well as his
regular columns and TV and radio interviews.
The night's top award, the Eureka Prize for leadership in science, was
won by nanotechnology expert Frank Caruso from Melbourne University.
The material scientist is best known for developing nano-sized
materials that can improve vaccines and drug delivery or to generate
sharper imaging from MRI scans.
He was also a member of the team that won the prize for
interdisciplinary scientific research that developed nano-scale
diamond sensors that can light up the insides of cells.
with Bridie Smith
http://www.watoday.com.au/technology/sci-tech/advice-on-hiv-in-armenia-scores-eureka-prize-20130904-2t5lt.html
WA today, Australia
Sept 5 2013
National Sci-Tech
by Nicky Phillips
A Sydney researcher who convinced a small eastern European country
to treat its HIV patients with life-saving drugs instead of an
unproven local medicine was one of the researchers honoured at the
2013 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes on Wednesday night.
Before the University of NSW's David Wilson started working in Armenia
many of the country's HIV patients were dying from disease-related
infections, a trend that had been reversed around the world since
the development of antiretroviral drugs in the mid-'90s.
"It reminded me of what was happening here in Australia in the 1980s
when we didn't have any treatments," said the epidemiologist, who
has a background in medicine and economics.
Since Dr Wilson, who works with governments from low- to middle-income
countries to manage epidemics, convinced the Armenians to start using
proven therapies in 2011 the country's AIDS-related deaths have fallen
from about 34 per cent of those with the disease to 0.3 per cent.
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width='300' height='250' scrolling="no" marginheight="0"
marginwidth="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0">
</iframe>
'~QA lot of pride was at stake for them because they'd put a lot of
money and resources around their drug,'~R he said.
For the global impact of his research, Dr Wilson, an associate
professor, was awarded the Eureka Prize for emerging leader in science
at a gala dinner at Sydney's Town Hall.
In Australia, Dr Wilson has also demonstrated the health and economic
benefits of needle-exchange programs, which resulted in clinics being
set up around the country.
'~QI often don't see the people [my work] influences or affects but I
see the bigger picture - the shifts in policy, the changes in funding
that change the health of the population - and I get tremendous
satisfaction from that,'~R he said.
Others awarded at the annual prizes included a team who developed
a program to encourage farmers to plant native shrubs for livestock
feed. The Enrich project team, led by CSIRO, found grazing livestock
on native plants could improve a farmer's profitability by up to
24 per cent in low- to medium-rainfall areas, as well as decrease
greenhouse gas emissions and erosion.
Two-time Eureka prize winner and evolutionary biologist Rick Shine,
from the University of Sydney, was honoured for mentoring young
researchers and UNSW's Rob Brooks, also an evolutionary biologist,
was awarded for promoting the understanding of science with his
award-winning book, Sex, Genes and Rock 'n' Roll, as well as his
regular columns and TV and radio interviews.
The night's top award, the Eureka Prize for leadership in science, was
won by nanotechnology expert Frank Caruso from Melbourne University.
The material scientist is best known for developing nano-sized
materials that can improve vaccines and drug delivery or to generate
sharper imaging from MRI scans.
He was also a member of the team that won the prize for
interdisciplinary scientific research that developed nano-scale
diamond sensors that can light up the insides of cells.
with Bridie Smith
http://www.watoday.com.au/technology/sci-tech/advice-on-hiv-in-armenia-scores-eureka-prize-20130904-2t5lt.html