Beating parasites wins three scientists Nobel prize for medicine

In a telephone interview, Chen told Epoch Times that Tu Youyou winning the Nobel left the Chinese authorities in an awkward position because she is not part of a system they endorse and promote-Tu is not an academician, derived her research not from Chinese science but from traditional Chinese medicine, and is practically a “nobody” from the people and not society’s elite. The job was left to Chinese medicine researcher Zhou Weishan, who was not the original choice but accepted the job after two other scientists were too busy on other assigned projects.

Campbell is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and is also a research fellow emeritus for Drew University.

Denis Simon, an expert on science in China, discusses this with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson. The project then shifted its focus towards traditional medicines and that is when Dr Tu, who was a researcher at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, became involved. When an extract from the plant Artemisia annua emerged as an interesting candidate, Tu revisited ancient literature and discovered clues that guided her to successfully extract the active component from the plant. The anti-malaria drug they invented has saved millions of lives globally, especially in under-developed countries, and has benefited hundreds of millions of people around the world. Through another manuscript called the “Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergency Treatments”, Tu discovered that the herb should be steeped in lower-tempeature water, and subsequent laboratory tests on mice and monkeys in 1971 proved effective against both the common and deadliest forms of malaria parasites. For decades, China has yearned for the global recognition that a Nobel Prize confers. “The development of traditional Chinese medicine must be mutually integrated with science”, he said.

In case you missed them, here is our round-up of who won what in this year’s Nobel Prize announcements in physiology, physics and chemistry.

According to Juleen R. Zierath, chairperson of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, Tu’s “inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine” was important.

Tu was visited on Monday by the China Association for Science and Technology and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, entrusted by Vice Premier Liu Yandong.

Ironically, Tu said she wasn’t surprised with her win because “this was an honor not for me alone, but for all Chinese scientists”.

Tu referred to TCM as “a great treasury” that requires more in-depth scientific research to play an even greater role.

Despite her newly found fame, Dr Tu continues to be modest and was keen to link her achievements with the value of traditional Chinese medicine.

In the question-and-answer session after the announcement at the Karolinska Institute, which awards the Nobels, one of the panelists emphasized not just the quality of Tu’s scientific research, but also the value of recorded empirical experience in the past.

Meanwhile, Tu has revealed that she learned about her award at the same time as everyone else in China, saying that she was sitting at home in Beijing when she saw the news on television, reports The Telegraph.

“This is indeed a glorious moment”, said Li Chenjian, a vice provost at prestigious Peking University.