The discovery of artemisinin is significant because not only it is an innovative new drug,but also its treatment of malaria has saved millions of lives worldwide,especially in (tropical) developing countries.The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Professor Tu You-You,a scientist from China,who made this seminal discovery.Malaria is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in the world,especially in tropical and subtropical zones.According to the World Health Organization (WHO),about 150 million people suffer from malaria each year,and more than 2 million die of the disease.The traditional therapy for malaria is chloroquine and quinine,but their efficacy has decreased over time due to drug resistance.The discovery and development of artemisinin as an effective new drug represents a significant breakthrough in malarial treatment.In this aspect,the artemisinin discovery is a great model for drug innovation and clinical application.