The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine honors pioneers in parasitic diseases

The much-awaited Nobel Prize announcements have begun!

On October 5, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, announced that the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura “for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites,” and Youyou Tu “for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria.” Together, the prize honors the researchers’ discoveries as they “provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually.”               

Campbell from Ireland and Omura from Japan discovered Avermectin, a new drug that provides immunity against River Blindness, Lymphatic Filariasis, and other parasitic diseases. Tu from China, on the other hand, made the discovery of the drug Artemisinin that reduced the mortality rates of malaria patients.

The Nobel Prize has been awarded to them since “The global impact of their discoveries and the resulting benefit to mankind are immeasurable.”

Congratulations to the winners!