Nobel Prize In Medicine Awarded To Three Scientists For Groundbreaking Work On Malaria And Roundworm Therapy | HuffPost

Pioneering Scientists Just Won The Nobel Prize In Medicine For Fighting Deadly Infections

Nitya Rajan— The Huffington Post UK

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The 2015 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three scientists for discovering groundbreaking treatments fighting malaria and infections caused by the roundworm.

William C. Campbell from Ireland and Satoshi Ōmura from Japan focused on a range of infections caused by the roundworm, including river blindness, while the third recipient Youyou Tu won for her work on Malaria.

The Nobel prize committee announced the winners in Stockholm today morning, after considering research from 327 scientists.

Ōmura was notified about his incredible achievement via a telephone call and told the committee: " I humbly accept it."

Paying tribute to all the other nominees he added: "there are many many good researchers in the world...I maybe very very luck."

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Campbell and Ōmura developed a new drug called Avermectin, that dramatically reduced occurrence of river blindness and elephantiasis, which affects more than 100 million people all over the world.

Tu, who is reportedly yet to be notified about her win, is sharing the prize for creating Artemisinin - a drug that has saved the lives of patients suffering from Malaria.

Malaria currently claims more than 450 000 lives, predominantly among children.

In an interview with the New Scientist, she said: “It is scientists’ responsibility to continue fighting for the healthcare of all humans.”

Nobel Prize

NOBEL-MEDICINE(01 of10)

Hans Forssberg, member of the Nobel Assembly, addresses a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu are the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(02 of10)

Hans Forssberg (L), member of the Nobel Assembly, gives an interview after a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu (their portraits are displayed (L-R) on the screen in background) are the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(03 of10)

Hans Forssberg (R), member of the Nobel Assembly, addresses a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu (their portraits are displayed (L-R) on the screen in background) are the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(04 of10)

Urban Lendahl (R), Secretary of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, addresses a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu (their portraits are displayed (L-R) on the screen in background) are the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(05 of10)

The portrait of Satoshi Omura of Japan and an illustration describing his work are displayed on a screen during a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu won the Nobel Medicine Prize for their discoveries of treatments against parasites, the jury said. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(06 of10)

An illustration describing the research on malaria by Nobel Medicine Prize winners 2015 is displayed on a screen during a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu won the Nobel Medicine Prize for their discoveries of treatments against parasites, the jury said. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(07 of10)

An illustration describing the research on roundworm infections by Nobel Medicine Prize winners 2015 is displayed on a screen during a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu won the Nobel Medicine Prize for their discoveries of treatments against parasites, the jury said. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(08 of10)

The portrait of Irish-born William Campbell and an illustration describing his work are displayed on a screen during a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu won the Nobel Medicine Prize for their discoveries of treatments against parasites, the jury said. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(09 of10)

The portraits of the winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize 2015 (L-R) Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu are displayed on a screen during a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

NOBEL-MEDICINE(10 of10)

The portrait of China's Youyou Tu and an illustration describing her work are displayed on a screen during a press conference of the Nobel Committee to announce the winners of the 2015 Nobel Medicine Prize on October 5, 2015 at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura of Japan and China's Youyou Tu won the Nobel Medicine Prize for their discoveries of treatments against parasites, the jury said. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images)

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