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Nobel Prize in Medicine 2015 went to three researchers from three different countries
The Nobel Prize for Medicine goes to three researchers from Ireland, Japan and China this year. The scientists were honored for research into malaria, river blindness and elephantiasis. Her work has contributed to new therapies against such parasite infections.
Three researchers share the Nobel Prize in Medicine
The Nobel Prize for Medicine 2015 goes to three scientists for the study of malaria, river blindness and elephantiasis. As announced by the Nobel lection at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm on Monday, one half will receive the Chinese Youyou Tu and the second half will be shared by the Irishman William C. Campbell and the Japanese Satoshi Omura. On December 10, the prize will be presented in Stockholm. The last time a German was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine was in 2013 Göttingen-born cell researcher Thomas Südhof. In this country was recently reported on him: In an interview, he had themed that smartphones and long work are to blame for stress and you should better turn off.
The Nobel Prize for Medicine goes to three scientists for their research on malaria, river blindness and elephantiasis. (Image: jarun011 / fotolia.com) Active ingredient from the medicinal plant Artemisia
As the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (SZ) reports on its Internet portal, the Chinese pharmacist Youyou Tu paved the way for today's malaria standard drug Artemisinin. Years ago, her team succeeded in extracting the key ingredient from the medicinal plant Artemisia annua. This resulted in new drugs that replaced the hitherto prevailing drug chloroquine, against which the malaria parasites had become resistant. But now there are resistant pathogens in Southeast Asia against the newer drug. The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore advises that malaria patients should no longer only be treated with artemisinin, but use combination preparations. According to WHO, there are nearly 200 million malaria infections worldwide each year. Tu is the twelfth woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine.
Medicines for parasitic diseases
The Irishman Campbell and the Japanese Omura have discovered the drug Avermectin, from which further developments effective agents against river blindness (onchocerciasis) and elephantiasis were obtained. But also drugs against other parasitic diseases based on this drug. According to estimates, river blindness affects 20 to 40 million people worldwide. Especially in the tropical regions of Africa and America, the worm disease is widespread. In infected people, inflammation of the cornea of the eyes occurs in most cases. The eye can be damaged so much that it leads to blindness. Elephantiasis manifests itself in a painful extreme swelling of the extremities. More than 100 million people worldwide are affected, and most of them suffer from stigmatization.
Prize money should guarantee "financial stability"
Last year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine for a Brain Navi was awarded to scientists from the USA and Norway. The award was given for discovering an "inner GPS" in the brain that allows people to "orient themselves in space". The prize money for the Nobel Prizes, which have been awarded since 1901, is 8 million Swedish kroner (around 878,000 euros) to ensure "lasting financial stability". In the coming days the Physics and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry will be awarded. Traditionally, the ceremony will take place on December 10, the day of the death of prize-winner Alfred Nobel. (Ad)