Aust researcher wins top science prize

The prestigious Japan Prize has gone to an Australian scientist whose research is providing the basis for many new medical treatments.

Australian scientist Dr Jacques Miller has won the prestigious Japan Prize for his ground-breaking immunology research.

Dr Miller was jointly awarded the prize with American scientist Dr Max D Cooper for his discovery of the T-lymphocytes that attack virus-infected cells.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the work identifying the cellular building blocks of the immune system had helped save the lives of thousands of people and continued to be the building blocks for new discoveries and treatments.