State Government congratulates Nobel winners

4/10/05
Acting Premier Eric Ripper today congratulated Western Australian researchers Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, who last night were named as Nobel laureates.
Mr Ripper said Professor Marshall and Dr Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their research into the causes of stomach ulcers and gastritis conducted during their time as registrars at Royal Perth Hospital.
"I am sure all Western Australians will join me in offering their congratulations for such an outstanding achievement," the Acting Premier said.
"It is a fitting acknowledgment of their dedication and standard of excellence in scientific research."
"It is also a timely reminder of the importance of the public health system and the key role played by public sector workers in keeping WA at the forefront of medical research."
Mr Ripper said Professor Marshall was the inaugural winner of the Premier's Prize for Achievement in Science in 2002, for his collaborative work in identifying the bacterium Helicobacter pylori as the cause of ulcers. The discovery has led to a cure for millions of ulcer sufferers throughout the world.
After the initial discovery in 1982, Professor Marshall extended the findings by investigating a large sample of patients reported at Fremantle Hospital. He developed a blood test, a biopsy test, and a breath test to easily diagnose the bacterium. All these methods are now widely used and he holds several patents related to diagnosis and treatment.
Professor Marshall is also well-known because of his self-experimentation in 1984. In order to quieten the sceptics who maintained that the bacterium was harmless, he drank a 'brew' of live bacteria and developed severe gastritis.
Between 1986 and 1996, Professor Marshall rose from a research fellow to tenured professor at the university founded by Thomas Jefferson - the University of Virginia. Located 200km south of Washington DC, the university is rated one of the top 10 medical schools in the United States.
Mr Ripper said the construction of the Fiona Stanley Hospital, with its state-of-the-art facilities, would see even more world-class research conducted in WA.
Acting Premier's office: 9222 8788