Chinese researchers have been bestowed the 2003 Prince Mahidol Award in medicine for their contributions to the development of an anti-malarial medicine, Qinghaosu and its derivatives. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand conferred the awards on January 29 at the Chakri Throne Hall in Bangkok. Qinghao (Artemisia annia L.) is an indigenous herb which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating malaria for more than 1.500 years. During the 1970s and the 1980s, Chinese researchers from various sectors made cooperative efforts in extracting a compound, Qinghaosu (artemisinine), from the plant. The research group has made significant progress in probing the chemical structure, its biosynthesis, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical studies of the compound and its derivatives. CAS researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry and the Institute of Biophysics are playing a major role in the research.
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