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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1987)
World Beat International Tonegawa gets prize STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Susumu Tonegawa, a Japanese researcher working in the United States, won the Nobel Prize in medicine Mon day for discovering how the body makes millions of kinds of antibodies to fight disease. His findings could help im prove vaccines and make organ transplants safer, said the Nobel Assembly of the Karolinska In stitute, which awards the prize. Hans Wigzell of the institute said Tonegawa’s research also may be significant in fighting such diseases as acquired im mune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, which destroys the body’s immune system. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, where he has worked since 1981. the 48-year-old Tonegawa told reporters: “The problem of how our body can respond to so many different kinds of pathogens was one of the most hotly debated issues in immunology. We did not understand how that happened. "It turned out that, contrary to what many people thought, genes can change during the life cycle of the individual That finding was unexpected to many, and yet it answered one of the mysteries of immunology. Asked what impact his work might have on AIDS research, the scientist said: “What we have done and are doing is not designed specifically to solve the problem of AIDS, but it's probable that the information we get will be useful in solving it." Wigzell. a professor of im munology, said Tonegawa's work could play an important role in understanding diseases such as AIDS, but "it would be too simple" to say there was an immediate bearing on finding a cure for the deadly disease. Tonegawa. the first Japanese to receive the medicine prize, "answered a question that has been debated for years: How can the body's 100,000 genes pro duce a billion different an tibodies?," said Doran Holm, a member of the Nobel Assembly. Antibodies are important tools in identifying viruses and bacteria that invade the body, and in preparing the immune system for attacking the in truders Each is targeted by nature on an invading virus or bacteria. Tonegawa's research helped clarify how the immune system sometimes produces faulty an tibodies that cause allergies. It explained breakdowns that oc cur when the antibodies strike the body's own defenses, as with diabetes, in which an tibodies neutralize insulin producing cells. Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone of |apan con gratulated Tonegawa and ex pressed pride that a Japanese researcher's work was so highly valued by the international scientific community. The medicine award was the first to be announced of the six prizes established by Alfred Nobel, the 19th-century Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and amassed a for tune. This year each award is worth $340,000. Much of Tonegawa's pioneer ing work, was done at Basel In stitute for Immunology in Switzerland. He spent 10 years there before moving to MIT. where he is a professor in the biology department and (’.enter for Cancer Research. He was born in Nagoya, Japan Last year's laureates in medicine were Stanley Cohen of the United States and Rita Levi Montalcini of Italy for discoveries of growth factors in human and animal tissue. On Tuesday, the Nobel Peace Prize is to be announced in Oslo. Norway, where the win ner is chosen by a special com mittee of Parliament. Prizes in chemistry, physics, literature and economics will be an nounced later All prizes will be presented in ceremonies Dec. 10, the an niversary of Nobel’s death in 1896. Mustard gas surfaces READING, England |AP) - Families living within a half mile of an unused military camp were evacuated by police Monday after a cache of World War 1 mustard gas was unearthed. Police said they called in ar my bomb disposal experts to remove the gas canisters near Basingstoke. 48 miles southwest of London. The canisters of the gas. which killed and blinded thousands of soldiers fighting Germany in the trenches of France and Belgium, were found during work to lay a water main. The army experts put on pro tective clothing and lifted the canisters by hand to lessen the risk of them splitting open. Fighting rages COLOMBO. Sri Unka (AP) — The Indian army parachuted commandos into the northern Jaffna Peninsula Monday, step ping up a three-day offensive that has left about 250 Tamil rebels dead. Sri l.ankan sources said. Heavy fighting raged at two villages near the rebel stronghold of laffna. one just north of the city and the other 12 miles farther north, said the sources, who spoke on condi tion of anonymity. The Indian government radio reported fighting throughout the night around laffna. 190 miles north of Colombo, the capital At least 15 members of the In dian peacekeeping force have been killed as the Indian army tries to enforce a peace accord aimed at ending the island nation's four-year Tamil in surgency. the sources said. They said all of the rebel dead were members of the largest militia, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which has been resisting the Indian-backed peace act. Snow hits Australia CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A freak snow storm hit Australia's capital c ity Monday only two weeks after one of the hottest September months since records began. The un seasons I flurry covered Canberra's streets with a half-inch of snow. It lasted just over two hours as temperatures dropped to 32 degrees, the city's Bureau of Meterology said "It did not last long anil although children were making snowmen at breakfast by mid day people were in short sleeves enjoying sunny temperatures of . . (53.6 degrees),” said a bureau spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The snow hit much of southeastern Australia and was the region's first October snowfall in 13 years, she said September marks the start of the Southern llemipshere spr ing. September in Canberra this year averaged 69 H degrees Crocodile eats man WINDHOEK. Southwest Africa (AF) — A crocodile grab bed a postmaster by the ankle and dragged him into the Zambezi River as the man was warning women and children about the danger of playing in the water, the South African Press Association reported Monday. Postmaster Kobus Slabbert was presumed dead. Residents of Katima Mulilo in the Caprivi Strip between Botswana. Angola and Zambia said Slabbert struggled furious ly as the alligator dragged him down the muddy bank into the water. He kept on fighting in the water, surfacing twice and screaming for help before he was pulled under again, they said. The search for Slabbert's body was called off Sunday night Slabbert's friend. Hob Hritz. said three families were pic nicking Sunday when Slabbed saw women and children play ing in the shallow water about 25 yards away and went to warn them about the danger of crocodiles. Seconds later, a largo crocodile crawled up the bank, gripped Slabbert's ankle in its jaws and disappeared under the water, said Hritz. Regional Driver gets 40 years EUGENE (AH) A man con victed in a drunken driving ac cident that killed the daughter of Benton County's district at torney anil her friend has been sentenced to 40 years in prison Donald Kay Miller of Eugene was given a minimum term of H years and ordered to pay $50,000 in fines to the families of the two victims, both Univer sity students. Miller. 411. had al least six prior drunken driving convic tions over a 20-year period, pro secutor Frank I’apagni noted. Miller completed numerous counseling and traffic: safety programs after the earlier arrests nut was unahle to control his alcohol problem, i’apagni said. Miller was found guilty Aug. 21 on two counts of first-degree manslaughter and a charge of s e c o n d - d e g r e e criminal mischief in the deaths of Cyn thia Marie Lind Sandrock of Corvallis and her passenger. Eric lames Wilson of Oregon City. Ms Sandrock, 20. the daughter of Kenton County District Attorney Peter San drock. died at the scene of the crash on Highway 09 north of Junction City. Wilson, 18, was a passenger in the car The accident occurred the night of Fob. 5, when Miller ran a stop sign and slammed broad side into Ms Sandrock's car Miller and a passenger in his car suffered only nvnor injuries ‘i know a lot of |>eople have been hurl by all this.” Miller s.ml before lh«i sentence was pronounced. "I’m just so sorry." Lane County Circuit Judge Gordon Cottrell acknowledged Miller's remorse but said the sentence was intended to pro tect the public and send a message to drivers who drink Miller bad a valid driver's license at the time of the acci dent despite his previous drunken driving convictions. Testimony at the trial showed that Miller had been drinking for nearly the entire afternoon before the crash A $1.2-million wrongful death lawsuit filed against Miller last month by Ms San drock's mother, Lynda loonard Sandrock of Corvallis, has not yet l>een resolved The lane County Circuit Court complaint seeks $1 million in general damages. $200,000 in punitive damages and $1,400 in special damages from Miller and his wife. Bernadine Miller. Murder suspect held KIJGENE (API A 24-year ol<( (unction City man was ar rested Monday by Lane County sheriff's deputies in connection with the death of a Veneta resi dent. authorities said. Mark Alan Murray was ar rested without incident in con nection with the death of John Joseph Shoddy. 21. deputies said Shoddy's body was found Aug 12th buried at the Clay Creek Campground 35 miles west of Kugene after Murray anonymously called sheriff's deputies, authorities said Deputies said Murray was a friend of the victim. Arraignment is set for Wednesday in Lane fk>unty Cir cuit Court and deputies said no additional arrests are anticipated. Alex Carl Alvarez, 19. of Car diner. has pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated murder in connection with Shaddy's death Alvarez could face the death penalty if convicted Murray was indicted by a grand jury The murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison upon conviction Cultural exchange offered Inten amhio lnturnacional de Kstudientes. A.C., a cultural exchange program, is offering local families the opportunity to share their home life with a young hoy or girl from (Antral America. Children will arrive during November. December or January for a eight- to nine week stay. founded in 1*159. the IN' TERCAMHlt) Program has successfully arranged for more than 50.000 children and families to meet and ex perience one another's cultures. INTERCAMBIO is design ed for younger children, ages 13 to 17. who are harking for a home that has a youngster of the age. sex and similar interests CVM MOVIE EXPRESS VIDEO MOVIE and VIDEO CASSETTE PLAYER RENTALS RENT ONE MOVIE AT REGULAR PRICE GET 2nd ONE At Participating 7-11 stores • 1316 Aider • 590 E. Broadway • 1898 Franklin Blvd. I Expires October 18, 1987
