Nobel Prize In Medicine Awarded To Three Scientists For Parasite-Fighting Studies
The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is being shared among three scientists who have used modern laboratory experiments to unearth anti-parasitic drugs hidden in herbs and soil.
William C. Campbell, formerly of New Jersey, and Japan's Satoshi Omura received half the $960,000 grant. The third scientist is Chinese researcher Tu Youyou, who will be granted the other half.
They "have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases," the Nobel Committee of the Karolinska Institute said as they announced the winners, according to the New York Times.
Together Campbell and Omura hit upon avermectin that brings down river blindness as well as lymphatic filariasis, two diseases that are rife in Asia and Africa, caused due to parasitic worms.
The Chinese awardee Tu discovered artemisinin, a drug that can bring down death due to malaria.
Ray Yip, the former Chinese program director for the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and also the Gates Foundation, appreciated Tu. "It is one of the few very truly innovative drugs to come out of China," Yip said, according to the Wall Street Journal. "The introduction of artemisinin was a major force in containing the scourge of malaria."
"The two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually," the Nobel Prize Committee said, according to HNGN. "The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable."
