The plate was designed by fashion designer Galo in connection with Tu Youyou receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2015. Galo also designed the clothes Tu Youyou wore during Nobel Week.
Tu Youyou donated the plate to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2015.
This book is the first publication describing the results of a project on antimalarial drugs. Tu Youyou played a crucial role in the project.
Malaria is a widespread disease in tropical countries. It is caused by a parasite that spreads through mosquitoes and is often treated with quinine. During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese soldiers suffered from a form of malaria in which the parasite was resistant to quinine. After North Vietnam asked China for help in developing a new treatment for malaria, China initiated a project where Tu Youyou participated. Drawing inspiration from ancient Chinese herbal recipes, she was able to extract a substance, artemisinin, from sweet wormwood extract. Artemisinin inhibits the malaria parasite.
Tu Youyou donated the research report to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2015.
