Karolinska Institute in Stockholm awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with one half to Chinese female pharmacist Youyou Tu and the other half to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura for their achievements in the research and treatment of parasitic diseases.
Youyou Tu’s winning the Nobel Prize broke China’s record of “Zero Nobel” in the field of natural science. It is also the first Nobel Prize that Chinese scientists have won for their local scientific research as well as the highest award that China has obtained so far in the medical field and traditional Chinese medicine.
85-year-old Youyou Tu is a pharmacist. She is also a tenured researcher and the chief researcher of China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as the director of the Artemisinin Research and Development Center. Having engaged in traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine research for many years, Tu made great contribution to new antimalarial— artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin. The artemisinin-based compound medicine has now become a standard treatment for malaria, saving millions of lives all around the world, especially that of developing countries.
“Artemisinin, a gift to the people of the world given by traditional Chinese medicine, is of great significant in fighting against malaria and other infectious diseases, as well as in maintaining the health of people worldwide. The discovery of atemisinin sets a successful example for common exploration of traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, winning the Prize is such a great honor which shows that China’s scientific career and Chinese medicine is moving toward the whole world,” Youyou Tu said in the her testimonials.
After Winning the Nobel Prize
Award of 2015 Nobel Prize winner has been gradually revealed. According to regulations, laureates will receive eight million kroner (950,000$) reward. How Nobel Prize winners use the money is sometimes as original as winning the Prize itself.
Professor Tu will receive half of the reward. Media asked her earlier about how she’s going to use it. Youyou Tu and her husband Mr. Tingzhao Li joked, “This money is not even enough to buy half of a living room in Beijing!”