IF your name went down in posterity for some act or invention, it's a safe bet is that you'd like it linked to a momentous achievement like discovering a revolutionary cancer drug.

Bolton-born scientist Professor Malcolm Stevens is in this enviable position. Now his remarkable work could achieve international acclaim in his lifetime.

The brain cancer drug Temodal is among 10 drugs vying for the pharmaceutical industry's Prix Galien award -- the medical world's own "Oscars". Remarkably, another contender is the anti-impotence drug Viagra, vital testing for which was carried out by Bolton doctor Eric Curless.

Temodal is licensed for the treatment of patients with mid and high grade tumours, and it was discovered by Prof Stevens and his team working for the Cancer Research Campaign.

He is a former Bolton School pupil, who discovered the drug when he was head of the research team at Aston University, Birmingham in 1980. The drug was developed over the next 20 years with £10 million charity funding.

To say that Bolton is proud of this talented son is an under-statement. Cancer has touched the lives of most people on this planet in some way, and the medical dream is always to find a way of combatting it.

Typically and truthfully, Prof Stevens shares the accolades with all those involved in the research. And he says that the biggest reward is simply the fact that Temodal is now helping patients.

Brain cancer can be a killer. This latest drug can be taken at home, in capsule form without many of the serious side effects of other treatments, and it can prolong life.

We wish Prof Stevens well in the Prix Galien competition, but the wonderful reality is that he is already a winner in life -- and he is sharing that with thousands of patients, now and in the future.