The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 was divided, one half jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura "for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites" and the other half to Youyou Tu "for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria".

Nobelist	Born	Affiliation at the time of the award
William C. Campbell	28 June 1930, Ramelton, Ireland	Drew University, Madison, NJ, USA
Satoshi Ōmura	12 July 1935, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan	Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan
Youyou Tu	30 December 1930, Zhejiang Ningbo, China	China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China

Summary

Diseases caused by parasites have plagued humankind for millennia and constitute a major global health problem. In particular, parasitic diseases affect the world's poorest populations and represent a huge barrier to improving human health and wellbeing. This year's Nobel Laureates have developed therapies that have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases.

William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura discovered a new drug, Avermectin, the derivatives of which have radically lowered the incidence of River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis, as well as showing efficacy against an expanding number of other parasitic diseases. Youyou Tu discovered Artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced the mortality rates for patients suffering from Malaria.



These two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually. The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable.



More details, please click The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.