This year’s medicine prize shared between two discoveries that three researchers accounted for. Scientists have taken the treatment of parasitic diseases to a new level, according to experts.
– When it comes to human use is it to get the Nobel Prize, if any, that may trump this, says Hans Fors Mountains of the Nobel Committee to SvD .
William C. Campbell Ireland and Satoshi Omura from Japan was rewarded for his discoveries about an effective treatment against infections caused by parasitic worms, such as river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.
River Blindness means that you have a chronic inflammation of the cornea, leading to blindness. Lymphatic filariasis causes lifelong disability and chronic swelling.
The second half of the prize was awarded Youyou Tu from China, who studied ancient herbal recipes to find new treatment against malaria.
The plant Artemisia annua emerged as an interesting candidate and Tu was able to extract the active ingredient in the plant, which became known as Artemisinin, which is a very effective drug against the disease which is spread by mosquitoes that transfer the parasite to man.
– These diseases affect every year hundreds of millions of people in poorer parts of the world. The discoveries reduces suffering, and the benefits of improved public health is almost immeasurably large, says Forssberg.
Professor Urban Lendahl, secretary of the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, under today’s announcement of Nobelrpistagarna in medicine. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg / TT
In the struggle to find effective treatment against parasitic diseases could Satoshi Omura isolate a specific type of bacteria in soil samples and bring it to multiply. One of the farms, as William C. Campbell saw as particularly effective, later became the source of Avermectin, as in a further developed form radically reduced the incidence of intractable parasitic diseases.
– This is quite new drugs and the common denominator is that all the scientists found the products of nature to make medicine from.
– This is all new medications and common is that all the scientists found the products of nature to make medicine, says Forssberg.
How does this year’s medicine prize research forward?
– The researchers contributing with great inspiration in how to find new substances which can be used as drugs, says Forssberg.
profits is not only to cure diseases, but also to make it possible for children to go to school and adults to work and take out of poverty.
Jonas Bläckberg, infection, researchers and doctors in Lund, says the medical discoveries had a major impact on the area of infection.
– It’s amazing discoveries. Parasitic diseases affect an incredible number of people globally and is very common, but in our little part of the world we do not talk much about it, says Bläckberg.
The discoveries have changed the lives of “immeasurable many”, considers the Nobel Assembly. For example, the 3.4 billion people at risk of becoming infected with malaria.
The Nobel Prize consists of a total of 8 million.
– There has been so much money in research on parasitic diseases. It is mainly poor countries affected and then research on, for example, heart disease and the like going there, says Jonas Bläckberg.
What a challenge it is medical research ahead of time what’s up?
– The man wrestling with right now resistant bacteria. Finding new drugs against common disease caused by a bacteria where there is a developed resistance. It is a huge challenge.
Photo : SvD Graphics
Photo: SvD Graphics
This year’s laureates
William C. Campbell was born in Ireland in 1930 but has spent most of his working life in the United States. He now works at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, USA.
Satoshi Omura was born in 1935 in Japan. He is currently Emeritus Professor at Kitasato University.
Tu Youyou born in 1930 in China. She is now head professor at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
This year’s medicine prize was the 106th handed out since 1901. A total of 210 people have now been awarded the prestigious prize. 12 of them have been women.
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