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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
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