Tu Youyou And The Discovery Of Artemisinin: 2015 Nobel Laureate In Physiology Or Medicine

by Yi Rao (Editor), Daqing Zhang (Editor), Runhong Li (Editor)

Overview

Nobel laureate Tu Youyou won the 2015 prize for Medicine/Physiology for the discovery of artemisinin, a drug therapy for malaria that has saved millions across the globe.This book traces the path of discovery beginning with Chairman Mao's 1964 instruction to Chinese researchers to find a cure for malaria, a disease that plagued the military and civilians alike in endemic regions. It chronicles the years of painstaking research to find effective anti-malarial drugs, and how an entry in a collection of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions gave Tu Youyou the clue which led her to successfully extract artemisinin from the plant, Artemisia annua.Gathering together information from a variety of sources including first-hand accounts, this book describes the contributions of the many organisations, scientists, doctors and countless others who played a part in the process of discovery and clinical testing. It also provides insights into the challenges of carrying out such an extensive research project with limited resources during the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution. An inspirational read for young scientists.Includes the translation of Professor Tu Youyou's 2015 Nobel Lecture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789813109889
Publisher:	World Scientific Publishing Company, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/17/2016
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

Table of Contents

Authors ix

Preface: The Deer Bleat "Youyou" While They Feed on Wild Hao xi

Chapter 1 Project 523 and Artemisinin 1

The Mandate for Project 523 2

The Organisational Structure of Project 523 14

Chapter 2 The Discovery of Artemisinin 29

Rediscovering the Anti-Malarial Properties of Artemisia Annua 30

The Extraction and Naming of the Effective Monomer of A. Annua 37

The Structure of Artemisinin 41

Clinical Trials 45

Collaboration in the Discovery of Artemisinin 57

Chapter 3 Scientific Research Collaboration during a Special Historical Period 63

Several Important Meetings 64

Collaboration between Personnel and Work Units 73

Chapter 4 Artemisinin's History and Future 79

From the Past to the Present 80

Health Benefits of Artemisinin and Future Research 86

Chapter 5 The Nobel Prize and Beyond 101

The Revolution is not Yet Over 102

The Importance of Scientific Thinking 119

Chinese Medicine is a Treasure Chest 126

Artemisinin and Malaria 131

Appendices 141

Appendix 1 Timeline of Project 523 (1964 to 1981) 142

Appendix 2 Milestones in Artemisinin Research (1967 to 2003) 158

Appendix 3 Artemisinin - Patents and Collaboration 163

Appendix 4 Organisations Named 173

Appendix 5 List of Plants 181

Appendix 6 Tu Youyou's Nobel Lecture 7 Dee 2015 183

Editor's: Epilogue 207