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At Tht Arlnm Republic Vdnnday. October 8, 1997 Prion discoverer takes the prize for perseverance On Monday, after 15 years of derision, Prusiner received the ultimate vindication: the Nobel Prize in medicine. The Nobel committee gave him the award for hat it called "his pioneering discovery of an entirely new genre of disease-causing agents." It said his work could lead to understanding the biology of other brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's, The aw ard, of course, doesn't prove that Prusiner's critics are wrong. He has no absolute proof that these odd proteins do their damage alone, without the help of a virus or something else unknown. It's conceivable that the objections of his opponents will be borne out one day.

But in the past decade, a growing majority of experts agrees Prusiner got it right and added enormously to knowledge of brain degeneration. While there is no effective treatment today for prion diseases, his research lays a foundation for new drug and other thcapies. "His work has turned a once obscure STEVE WILSON Republic Columnist corner of medicine into an important source of new ideas about fundamental biological mechanisms," said Zach Hull, director of the National Institute for Neurological Disease and Stroke. "He ran into tremendous resistance in the beginning. But the breadth and depth of what he has done and published is monumental," said Dr.

Daniel Perl, director of neuropathology at New York City's Mount Sinai School of Medicine. More impressive than any accolade was Prusiner's appreciation of his critics. Skepticism, lie affirmed, is essential to scientific research. "Most radical ideas turn out to be incorrect. It is very important that the people who propose new ideas be given a tough time." Few have been given a tougher one.

Still fewer have shown his perseverance. Steve Wilson can be reached at 444-8775 or at steve.wilsonpnl.com via -mail. ideas as unprovable nonsense. Prusiner elucidated nothing and only confused matters with "half-truths," said the Lancet, a British medical journal. A 1986 story in Discover magazine was particularly biting.

"The prion remains a mystery in more ways than one perhaps the most controversial being why the government gave $4 million to a scientist whose work is disputed by virtually every other researcher in his field save his collaborators." The story included satirical limericks, which circulated among the skeptics: There was a young Turk named Sian Who embarked on a de ious plan. "If I simply rename it. I 'm sure I can claim it," Said Stan as he pondered his scam. "Eureka," cried Stan, "I have found it. Well, maybe not actually found it.

But I talked to the press Of the slow virus mess And invented a name to confound it! Today's column is for everyone who has ever been unfairly lambasted, abused, ridiculed, laughed at, hung out to dry, skinned alive, or otherwise given the dickens for having an unpopular idea. Dr. Stanley B. Prusiner, a neurologist at the University of California-San Francisco, knows what it's like. In 1982, he advanced a daring hypothesis that the infectious agents in many brain diseases were strange-acting proteins which he dubbed "prions." In cooditions ranging from "mad cow disease" in cattle to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, these proteins literally created holes in brains, causing dementia and death.

Before Prusiner, most scientists thought diseases he attributed to prions were caused by slow-growing viruses. Unlike other kinds of infectious agents viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites prions contain no genetic material that allows them to copy themselves. He theorized that prions reside naturally in the body and do no harm unless they mutate into a folded shape. As the infectious prions touch other prions, a chain reaction begins and the abnormal proteins begin eating into the brain. This sort of mechanism had never been observed before, and many scientists found it preposterous.

Harsh articles appeared in medical journals, dismissing his unorthodox McCain reform bi 11 dies WEDNESDAY 10897 HTniimiiiii 3 GOP sinks measure to revamp campaign funding election time. "We know riuht now there is not a A By Jeff Barker and Adrianns Ftynn Republic Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Sen. John McCains bill to reform federal elation campaigns sank Tuesday under the weight of procedural baggage attached to it by leaders of his own party. The Arizona Republican ambitious legislation, years in the making, was not, technically speaking, defeated Rather, it was buried in a parliamentary hole with little immediate hope of reaching sunlight. "Of course we are disappointed we didn't prevail," McCain said.

"We believe, sooner or later the United States Senate will address consensus," Lott said. "But if we begin to move toward one that's not partisan, that is fair and does not limit free speech hey. I'm always willing to see what we can agree on." Supporters of McCain Is bill lost two battles. First, they couldn't muster enough votes to kill Lott's labor amendment. In the only surprise of Tuesday's proceedings, McCain split with his Democratic allies and voted to allow the Lott amendment to move forward, putting his own bill further at risk.

McCain cast his vote knowing supporters of his measure didn't have the votes SECURITY LAPSE: James Clark was turned down as a security risk when he tried to get a job at the Ci A. Theresa Marie Squillacote was married to a known communist sympathizer, Kurt Alan Stand. So how did the three now accused of spying gain Pentagon security clearances? A13 LASER TESTi A controversial test by the Army of a powerful laser is temporarily blocked by two of the most routine glitches in modern military operations: bad weather and computer software problems. A1 5 ALMANAC Today is the 281st day of the year. In 1871, the great Chicago fire erupts.

In 1918, Sgt. Alvin York almost single-handedly kills 25 German soldiers and captures 132 in the Argonne Forest in France. In 1934, Bruno Hauptmann is indicted for murder in the death of the infant son of Charles Lindbergh. In 1970, Alexander Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize for literature. In 1985, the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Laura kill American Leon Klinghoffer, dumping his body and wheelchair overboard.

In 1996, Pope John Paul II has his inflamed appendix removed. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM PRAYER Lord, thank you for touching our lives with your love and healing grace. Amen. LOTTERY FANTASY 5 Tuesday's drawing: Winning numbers are picked after the deadline for this edition. Numbers information is available at (602) 829-PICK.

Monday's results: 0816 27 30 34 Winner 0S50.000 (5 numbers) Second-place pool: 165500 (4 numbers) Third-place pool: 650S5 (3 numbers) POWERBALL Saturday's drawing: 11 24 25 31 43 mm 1 OLIVE BRANCH: The newly released spiritual leader of Hamas the militant Islamic group whose trademark is the suicide bomb makes a tentative truce offer, saying the group would halt such bombings if Israel stops "attacks against our civilians." A16 RED CROSS FAILURE: The Red Cross hands over 60,000 pages of World War II-era documents to Israel, and a top official acknowledged the organization's "moral failure" in keeping silent while the Nazis murdered 6 million Jews. A19 MOLESTINGS REPORTED: this issue." The measured supporters complained they were denied an opportunity by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott to vote on the bill, or even to propose amendments. They accused Lott of using his control of the parliamentary process to evade responsibility for the bill's demise. "This is one of the most cynical moves that I've seen in the United States Senate," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Specifically, McCain had hoped for a vote on a Lott-sponsored amendment that would have required permission from rank-and-file members before labor unions could finance political activities with dues money. Reform backers dubbed the amendment a "poison pill" designed to sink the entire bill because it was unacceptable to pro-labor Democrats. "I've expressed my disappointment that, although the issue was debated, we didn't have votes. We didn't even have an up or down vote on the Lott amendment," McCain Lott denied the assertion that his amendment was designed to bring dowacampaign-finance reform. "Since when is it a poison pill when you have an amendment that says the American people should have a say about how their money is used?" he asked.

Lott said there was no consensus on McCain's bill, which sought to curb the influence of big money in congressional campaigns. The measure would have banned "soft money" that is, contributions by corporations, wealthy individuals and others to national political parties. The Mississippi Republican said the bill would have inhibited candidates' ability to raise enough cash to take their campaigns directly to the people. He also objected to a provision that would have restricted interest groups' involvement in advocating for or against candidates at to kill Lott measure if it made it to a final vote. McCain said he voted for Lott's labor amendment to get it to a final vote, when senators would be held accountable for their views of its merits.

"I certainly wanted to get as I've said continuously senators on the record on all these amendments," he said. In the second battle, McCain and his allies fell seven votes short of the 60 needed to push the bill forward by cutting off debate. McCain and seven other Republicans joined all of the Senate's 45 Democrats in a failed effort to bring the bill to a vote. McCain did not have the backing of Arizona junior senator, Jon Kyi, who supported Lott's amendment but opposed the overall bill. Kyi said tliat he supports some kind of campaign-money reform but that McCain bill did not go far enough in giving union members a say in how their dues could be used for politics.

The bill also strayed into unconstitutional territory by attempting to limit the speech of special interests, he said. "There's a great consensus on the desire for reform," Kyi said. "The question is in the details." Democrats, he added, are hypocrites on the issue. "Democrats know that by refusing to support voluntary (union) contributions, they can kill campaign-finance reform. And in point of fact, many of them would like to do exactly tliat while taking the demagogic high ground." The next move by McCain and the Democrats could include an attempt to attach the reform bill to unrelated legislation to flush it onto the floor again.

They also plan to repeat Tuesday's votes again on Thursday. Tuesday's action, although disappointing, was no surprise to McCain. Last week, he told The Arizona Republic that he was shy of the votes needed to kill the Lott amendment, or to force a final vote on the bill. It turned out he was right on both counts. vail mmLmMJLJkmm SURGERY FOR PIPPEN: Scot-tie Pippen is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season after foot surgery, a major loss for the Chicago Bulls as they go for their third straight NBA championship.

D1 1 Nine victims some now adults have come forward in the past year to report being sexually molested by a physical education teacher in the Phoenix Elementary School District. B1 DAVID LEIBOWITZ: The last few days have been good ones for Lisa Ann Smith, mother of six, age 28, and the wife of Officer Scott Smith, dead since the 3rd of January. Her legal battle with the city of Phoenix will soon end. BI YOUNGTOWN CHALLENGED: Youngtown may soon be forced to start living up to its name. The state Attorney General's Office issues an opinion that an ordinance prohibiting anyone 18 or younger from living in some areas of the town violates state law.

BI COSTLY TAILLIGHT: Derrill Smith is pulled over for a broken tail-light. But instead of a citation, he gets a jail cell for having nearly 40 weapons, nearly 5 pounds of marijuana and a small amount of methamphetamines, police say. Valley State News In Brief. BI 1 1111 Mff Hearing on campaign funding ft AUTO STORES SOLD: Trak Auto Corp. says it will sell 80 of its California stores to CSK Auto Inc.

of Phoenix for $38 million. E1 CREDIT SLOWS: Consumers slacken their pace of borrowing in August, reflecting slower spending growth and increased wariness by lenders. E2 CYBER WARFARE: Neither government nor industry has the means to protect the nation against computer attacks that could shut down communications and power grids, the chairman of a presidential commission says. E7 nmn 3 Powerball: 28 Tonight's Jackpot: $16 million LOTTO Saturday's drawing: 01 1013 21 26 27 Tonight's Jackpot: $4.5 million DJNGO Tuesday's Numbers Here are the numbers drawn in Tuesday's Bingo lottery. 05 09 12 14 16 17 30 32 34 35 36 38 42 45 51 57 59 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 Numbers drawn for today's Bingo game can be obtained by calling PressLino at 271-5656 and entering 7425.

CHUCKLE Diplomat: someone who thinks twice before saying nothing. READER ADVOCATE Do you have questions or concerns about stories you read in the paper? Call Reader Advocate Richard de Uriarte at 444-8912 or reach him by e-mail at either rdeuriarteaol.com or pnireaderaol.com. Watch for his column every Sunday in the Republic. CORRECTIONS POLICY The Arizona Republic will correct errors fully and promptly. To report an error in the news columns, phone Managing Editor Steve Knickmeyer, 444-8087.

To report an error on the Editorial pages, phone Paul J. Schatt, editorial page editor, 444-8475. HOW TO REACH US Circulation 444-1000 Classified 444-2424 Newsroom 444-8235 Editorial Page 444-8499 Reader Advocate 444-891 2 Metro 444-8222 Business news 444-81 42 Features 444-8152 Sports 444-8641 Photo 444-8282 Photo Reprints 444-8298 Back Issues 444-8537 Library Services 444-801 7 (9-11 a.m., Mon-Fri) JobLine 271-5656 code 9300 Newspapers in Education 444-8846 -Tours 444-7090 All other departments 444-8000 Mesa office: rr 3 mm CHAIN REACTION: The small independent video stores that once dominated the market are rapidly disappearing as national chains muscle them out. But at least some of the Valley's small operators think they'll survive. CI FDA REFORM: The House approves fundamental changes in the way the Food and Drug Administration operates in an effort to speed approval of breakthrough drugs and medical devices.

A3 TERM LIMITS VOIDED: A fed eral appeals court strikes down California's legislative term-limits law, a ruling that allows many veteran lawmakers to seek re-election next year. A4 MINORITIES ACHIEVE: Affirmative-action students admitted to a California medical school with low grades and test scores became just as good doctors as the higher-scoring applicants, researchers say. A4 CLINTON 'MARKLESS': Presi the Pentagon, and scoffed at the idea that such workers would be involved. "It's totally, utterly baseless," Davis said, adding that the failure to find the videotapes sooner was merely a mistake. He released a May memo from Alan Sullivan, an aide in the White House military office, which said a search of White House files found only six documents.

Davis said Sullivan searched only a list of names to come up with the six documents. A more complete computerized search looking for the words "coffees" and "political dinners" recently uncovered the additional materials, White House aides said. Additional tapes The White House now is reviewing 100 to 150 additional videotapes, which aides say could involve Clinton's appearances at other political events at the White House. Representatives of the White House counsel's office have also been called to testify this week before a federal grand jury investigating campaign-finance abuses. Republicans said the tapes show that the White House was used to raise money for Clinton's campaign, a central theme in the GOP's charge that Clinton violated federal law by using federal property to raise political funds.

Attorney General Janet Reno said last week that neither Clinton nor Vice President Al Gore violated any federal law by holding White House coffees. HEARING, fmm Page Al permitted, including hosting coffees and dinners. "The guy lives in the White House, works in the White House. He's the president. What's he supposed to do? Go to the pay phone at the 7-Eleven?" Ickes said, quoting a line from comedian Jay Leno.

"I'm not sure I would rely on Jay Leno as my lawyer for anything," committee counsel Michael Madigan responded. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson, announced that he is opening an investigation of what he called deliberate White House efforts to conceal documents involving Clinton's fund-raising activities. Videotaped coffees Thompson is angry at the White" House's disclosure that it only recently found videotapes of some of the coffees Clinton attended. "I would not like to see this go down as a cover-up of more serious activities," Thdmpson said, urging Clinton to "take responsibility" by requesting an independent prosecutor i of campaign-finance abuses. Clinton defended himself Tuesday, saying at the White House, "I'm not ashamed of the fact that I did the best I could within the present system.

I knew we would be outspent badly in 1996, but we weren't outspent as badly as we would have been if I had Your complaint is with the law, not with us. We played by the rules. You, and only you, (senators) have the power to change the law. Harold Ickes ex-cunton aide laid around and done nothing." Clinton told reporters, "I never told anyone they had to contribute to me in order to do business with the White House. I never asked anybody not to do anything with the other side." Pattern of delays Democrats joined Republicans in criticizing the White House for the tardy production of the tapes, citing a pattern of delays.

"It's a foul-up, not a cover-up. But the accumulation of foul-ups raises a question on the committee: What is going on over there?" said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said White House aides must have seen camera crews taking pictures of the fund-raising coffees and dinners.

Lanny Davis, White House special counsel, insisted that no one knew of the videotapes until the records of the White House Communications Agency were reviewed last week. Davis said that agency is staffed by mm, HISTORY REVISITED: The Clinton White House videotape affair seems a lot like Richard Nixon's. There is even a 60-second audio gap in one of Clinton's coffee scenes. B6 JUST SAY NO: The Supreme Court opens its fall session by saying no. Several times.

Including once to Arizona. B6 dent Clinton does not have the "distinguishing characteristics" ascribed to him by the woman who claims in a sexual harassment lawsuit that Clinton exposed himself to her, the president's lawyer says. A5 The Arizona Republic Possible juror thinks Nichols guilty MAIL RATES (Payable in advance) In Arizona: Daily a Sunday $72.80 (quarterly) Daily only $42.90 quarterly) Sunday only $29.90 (quarterly) Call 602-444-8503 for mail rates outside Arizona. Periodical postage paid at Phoenix, Ariz. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Arizona Republic P.O.

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SUGGESTED HOME DELIVERY PRICES Daily: Monday through Saturday $2.10 per week Daily and Sunday: tight weeks $3.50 per week 13 weeks $3 35 per week 26 week? $3 30 per week 52 weeks $3.25 per week Weekender (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Thanksgiving Day) $2.50 per week Saturday, 6 a.m.-Noon Sunday, 7 a.m. -2 pm rested and likely was with McVeigh when he rented the Ryder truck that carried the bomb. McVeigh was alone when he was arrested on an unrelated gun charge. Authorities have ruled Nichols out as the man seen with McVeigh when the truck was rented. Defense attorney Ron Woods became angered and slammed his jury folder down on the table when U.S.

District Judge Richard Matsch cut short his probing questions about the belief that more than one person was needed to build the bomb. The man finally conceded one person could have built the bomb "with some difficulty. Associated Press DENVER A prospective juror said Tuesday that he believes Terry Nichols is guilty because it probably took more than one person to build the bomb that destroyed the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The man, an explosives expert with detailed knowledge of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil bombs, said he tried to learn as much as possible about the bombing because of his work. But flaws in his knowledge of the case showed when he said Nichols accompanied Timothy McVeigh when McVeigh was ar 271-5656 Call anytime for news and sports updates 444-8837 444-8301 it you wisn to deliver newspapers Subscription information, TDD (for hearing impaired) ADVERTISING To place a classified ad -To FAX a classified ad To place a retail ad To place a legal ad Classified billing TRIAL Sports scores 9010 Weather updates 1010 Dining tips 3463 Movie times 3456 444-2424 444-8788 444-8443 444-7315 44-8574 Complete listing, 16.