Tu Youyou
屠呦呦
Discoverer of Artemisinin for Malaria
“Every scientist dreams of doing something that can help the world.”
“每个科学家都梦想做一些能帮助世界的事情。”
— Nobel lecture, 2015
Biography
Tu Youyou discovered artemisinin, a compound derived from traditional Chinese medicine that has saved millions of lives from malaria. During the Cultural Revolution, she led a secret military project that screened thousands of herbal remedies. Inspired by a 1,600-year-old text by Ge Hong, she developed a low-temperature extraction method that preserved the compound's efficacy. She received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine — the first Chinese Nobel laureate in the sciences and the first without a doctoral degree or overseas study experience.
屠呦呦发现了青蒿素——一种源自中国传统医学的化合物，已经拯救了数百万人免于疟疾。在文化大革命期间，她领导了一个秘密军事项目，筛选了数千种草药。受葛洪1600年前古籍的启发，她开发了保持化合物功效的低温提取方法。她获得了2015年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖——中国第一位科学领域的诺贝尔奖得主，也是第一位没有博士学位和海外留学经历的获奖者。
Key Achievements
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2015)
诺贝尔生理学或医学奖（2015年）
Discovered artemisinin, saving millions from malaria
发现青蒿素，拯救数百万人免于疟疾
First Chinese scientist to win a Nobel Prize
中国第一位获得诺贝尔奖的科学家
References & Citations
- Wikipedia: Tu Youyou — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_Youyou
- Nobel Prize: Tu Youyou — https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2015/tu/
