Tu Yu: The study of artemisinin is far from over

"My biggest dream is to use ancient Chinese medicine to promote human health, so that people all over the world can share its benefits. What I think of my life is to do well in scientific research, do the subject well, and hope to take the topic. The research of artemisinin has been deepened, developed more drugs to benefit more people, which is also my own interest. "After being awarded the" Republic of the Republic ", Tu Yu, a lifelong researcher and chief researcher of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, like this. Say.

In 2015, Tu Yu won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Later, she won the National Supreme Science and Technology Award. Tu Yu has never deliberately pursued the awards and honors; she can avoid interviews and activities, "not used to things on such an occasion." Tu Yu, who is over the age of nine years old, is still thoughtful.

After twists and turns, medicine seeking medicine

Tu Yu is the first generation of pharmacists trained by New China. She said that artemisinin is a gift from the traditional Chinese medicine to the people of the world, and the Nobel Prize is a gift from Chinese science and technology workers to the motherland.

In January 1969, Tu Yu learned a national large collaborative project- "523" task, which covers all areas of malaria prevention and control.

The research and development of anti -malaria is a speed of death with Plasminal. After taking over the task, Tu Yu went through the ancient books, looked for prescriptions, visited the old Chinese medicine medicine, and copied it word by word to the Chinese medicine information that could be obtained. On the basis of more than 2,000 types of internal or external medicines including plants, animals, and minerals, the research team wrote the "Cloud Specification Recipe" mainly based on 640 Chinese medicines. The collection and analysis of this information cast the foundation of the discovery of artemisinin.

By the beginning of September 1971, more than 100 aquatic and alcoholic samples of more than 100 kinds of Chinese medicine were selected, but the effect was not ideal.

Had to work harder. From "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" to "Shengji General Record" to "The Different Trip of Warm Diseases" ... Finally, Ge Hong's "Elbow Receives" records about Artemisia annua antimalarial, which was inspired by the research team- "Great Artemisia annua, two liters of water, twisted the juice, and take it all."

Tu Yu decided to extract Artemisia Artemisia with a boiling point of only 34.6 ° C. The experiment is complicated and lengthy. On October 4, 1971, after 190 failures, the final result of the antimalarial sample antimanaise experiments of Artemisia Artemisia Artemisiah No. 191 was released -the inhibitory rate of Plasmodium reached 100%.

After Tu Yu reported the result, the "523" office required that the year must go to Hainan clinical to see how the effect is.

A large number of Artemisia Artemisia ether extract must be prepared clinically. At that time, the pharmaceutical factory stopped, and the topic group went up, and used 7 large water cylinders to replace the regular extraction container. The equipment is simple, there is no ventilation system, and there is no experimental protection. Tu Yu was soaked in the laboratory all day to get poisoning hepatitis.

After the extract, in the pathological slices of individual animals, the suspected side effects of the drug were found. Pharmacologists believe that only after confirming safety can it be used for clinical.

In order to miss the clinical observation season of the year, Tu Yu decided to "try medicine with the body". In July 1972, three scientific researchers including Tu Yu conducted a weekly test observation under the hospital's close monitoring, and no observation of the extract had obvious toxic and side effects on the human body. Subsequently, Tu Yu personally took the medicine to save people in Changjiang malaria in Hainan.

The results show that the drug has certain effects on the daily malaria and malignant malaria of local, low malaria, and foreign populations. After that, the team members of Tu Yu's research group separated the effective monomer with antimalarial effects. Later, Artemisinin moved from the laboratory to the pharmaceutical factory ...

Tu Yu said that it was discovered that artemisinin was a story of Chinese scientists struggling to find new antimalarial drugs from Chinese medicine in a difficult environment.

The study of artemisinin is far from over

After winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Tu Yu and other award -winning scientists exchanged in Sweden and the media.

The reporter present recalled that when Tu Yu answered the question, he repeatedly mentioned that "the work has not been completed." She cares about the resistance of artemisinin, and the possibility of continued development of artemisinin. In the Corolinska College, Tu Yu also pointed out that malaria is still a serious challenge to the world's public health.

Tu Yu often asked these three questions: Which countries in the world have not eliminated malaria? What else can we do? How can we use modern technology to do a good job of inheritance and innovation and prevent and control new infectious diseases? Tu Yu also knows that the research on artemisinin is far from over. With the deepening of research and the upgrading of research methods, she hopes to give birth to more new drugs. "I hope in the younger generation, I wish them surpass us and create a better tomorrow for human beings."

Tu Yu, the Director of the Artemisin Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is surrounding the deepening research of artemisinin to carry out scientific research. On the one hand, the team must face the major needs of the country, focus on major clinical issues, and maintain the health of the people; on the other hand, we must actively explore important and basic life science issues, break the imprisonment of thinking, use emerging technologies, and use emerging technologies to innovate in original theory and The research and development of innovative medicines lay a solid foundation.

Earlier, Tu Yu donated some bonuses to the Ministry of Medicine of Peking University and the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and established funds to reward young scientific researchers to inspire them to generate more discovery and innovation.Curiosity and interest are the driving force of scientific research, but the research and development process of artemisinin shows that the high sense of responsibility and responsibility for the national mission is also a driving force.Tu Yu said that Chinese scientific and technological workers shoulder the mission of revitalizing China and devoted themselves to the development of science and technology innovation and development. This is also the responsibility and responsibility of science and technology workers.Source: Science and Technology Daily

Edit: Wang Jing

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