Tu Youyou

Nobel laureate who revolutionized malaria treatment through artemisinin discovery

Tu Youyou, a Chinese pharmaceutical chemist, made an indelible mark on global healthcare through her discovery of artemisinin in the 1970s. This groundbreaking anti-malaria compound has saved millions of lives worldwide, particularly in developing countries.

Her work began during Project 523, a secret military initiative to find malaria treatments during the Vietnam War. While reviewing ancient Chinese medical texts, Tu found references to sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua) being used for fever relief as early as 400 AD.

Through innovative extraction techniques, Tu and her team isolated the active compound artemisinin. This discovery was particularly crucial as existing malaria drugs like chloroquine were losing effectiveness due to parasite resistance.

The World Health Organization now recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies as first-line treatment. According to WHO estimates, malaria mortality rates have fallen by 47% globally since 2000, with artemisinin playing a vital role.

Tu's achievement was recognized with the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, making her China's first Nobel laureate in natural sciences. What makes her work extraordinary is that she accomplished this breakthrough without a medical degree or research experience outside China.