Who can get the next Nobel Prize in infectious diseases?

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to deliver a perspective on future Nobel prizes by reviewing the features of Nobel prizes awarded in the infectious diseases-related (IDR) field over the last 115 years. Thirty-three out of 106 Nobel prizes (31%) in Physiology or Medicine have been awarded for IDR topics. Out of 58 Nobel laureates for IDR topics, two have been female; 67% have been medical doctors. The median age of Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine was found to be lower than the median age of laureates in Literature (p<0.001). Since the Second World War, US-affiliated scientists have dominated the Nobel prizes (53%); however before 1945, German scientists did so (p=0.005). The new antimicrobials received Nobel prizes until 1960; however no treatment study was awarded the Prize until the discovery of artemisinin and ivermectin, for which the Nobel Prize was awarded in 2015. Collaborative works have increasingly been appreciated. In the future, more female laureates would be expected in the IDR field. Medical graduates and scientists involved in multi-institutional and multidisciplinary collaborative efforts seem to have an advantage.

Ivermectin: a multifaceted drug of Nobel prize-honoured distinction with indicated efficacy against a new global scourge, COVID-19

“…The 2015 Nobel prize for the discovery of ivermectin (IVM) and an antimalarial treatment was the Nobel committee’s first award for treatment agents for infectious diseases since the one in 1952 for streptomycin [ 1 ]. A macrocyclic lactone of multifaceted potency [ 2 , 3 ], IVM as deployed worldwide since 1987 has made major inroads against two devastating tropical diseases, onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis [ 4 ].…”

Ineffective responses to unlikely outbreaks: Hypothesis building in newly‐emerging infectious disease outbreaks

“…Non‐state and parastatal actors, such as researchers, including those based overseas, also often become involved in these investigations, as do non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) and, on occasion, private companies (Perrocheau et al., 2023). This expanded network of actors generating and interpreting evidence can be attributed to the need for specialist resources and expertise when dealing with an unusual or ambiguous causative agent and the perceived public health threat of a potentially novel pathogen, though there are also significant personal and professional incentives associated with participating in high‐profile NEID investigations (Ergonul et al., 2016; Leach & Hewlett, 2010).…”

Physiology and Medicine: The Gifted Saga of the Last Decade

“…Microbiology, Immunology and infectious diseases are the most frequently awarded fields of medicine and physiology, over the century. The first half of the 20th century is dominated by microbiologists whereas the second half is awarded to the immunologists [6]. In Physiology and Medicine Nobel Prize has been awarded 106 (38 one laureate, 32 times shared by 2 laureate and 36 times shared by 3 laureate ) times to 210 researchers from all parts of the globe [5].…”