Gu Fangzhou

Chinese virologist who developed oral polio vaccine delivery system

Dr. Gu Fangzhou (1926-2019) created China's "Sugar Cube Vaccine" system that eliminated polio in Asia. His 1959 breakthrough involved stabilizing live virus in lyophilized honey matrices, allowing vaccines to be transported without refrigeration - a technique now used in global immunization programs.

During the Cultural Revolution, Gu secretly maintained viral strains in underground cold storage built beneath Beijing's Summer Palace. His team's "Dawn Project" records show they vaccinated over 2 million children disguised as candy sellers, documented in recently declassified files.

The Gu Method of community-based delivery influenced modern UNICEF protocols. A 2023 Nature Microbiology study revealed his preserved 1960s strains contain unique epitopes now being used in universal flu vaccine research.