Latest research progress of Tu Youyou Research Group

Since Tu Youyou, a Nobel laureate (as shown on the picture) found the artemisinin, all the actions related to artemisinin of Tu Youyou and her scientific research team have attracted the wide attention of the public. the new breakthroughs made by Tu Youyou’s research group in aspects of “anti-malarial mechanism research”, “drug resistance formation” and “treatment adjustment” were called as “ultimate” by the official media in China on the 17th day. As reported, Tu Youyou’s research group had made new progresses in aspects of “treatment of lupus erythematosus and other indications by artemisinin” and “outgoing of traditional Chinese medicine research works”. Which significant meaning does the latest published research achievement? How to expand the application prospect of artemisinin for the benefits of the world? The reporters of Global Times interviewed the leading experts of relevant fields.

New breakthrough in the Tu Youyou research

As reported on the Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao on the 17th day, since Tu Youyou, a Nobel laureate and her research group found the artemisinin, the artemisinin derivatives have been used as the most effective and no-complication drug combination against malaria. However, if the plasmodium becomes resistant to artemisinin, the result must be serious so all the scientists in the world are very concerned about the further worsening of “artemisinin resistance”. For the resistance to artemisinin in partial regions in China, Tu Youyou and her research group has recently put forward the practicable treatment plan against “artemisinin resistance”, and made new progress in the “treatment of lupus erythematosus and other indications by artemisinin”.

As reported on Taiwan’s China Times.com on the 17th day, the latest report published by the World Health Organization said that the world malaria prevention and treatment had stalled. To investigate the causes, the plasmodium’s resistance to artemisinin-based anti-malarial drugs is the biggest technical challenge faced by the world malarial control at present, besides the insufficiency of fund and core countermeasures for malarial prevention and treatment. Many technical researches have proven the different resistances to artemisinin in the Greater Mekong Subregion and other regions.

As reported on the New Zealand’s Chinese Herald on the 17th day, after the research over 3 years, Tu Youyou’s research group had made new progresses in aspects of “anti-malarial mechanism research”, “drug resistance formation” and “treatment adjustment”, and put forward the new treatment plans: 1. Prolong the use time of drug properly, and extend the 3-day treatment to 5-day or 7-day treatment. 2. Change the ancillary drugs resistant to artemisinin used in the artemisinin-based combined therapy; by those methods, the therapy became effective instantly.

Recently, the significant research achievement and the treatment plan against artemisinin resistance of Tu Youyou’s research group have been published on the New England Journal of Medicine which is a top-level medical journal in the world.

Pedro · Alonso, the director of world malaria project of the World Health Organization said that up to now, 100,000,000 malaria patients have been cured by the artemisinin-based combined therapy. The anti-malaria research made by Tu Youyou’s research group is outstanding and makes the inestimable contribution.

Huge potential for treatment of lupus erythematosus

Tu Youyou’s research group also found that the dihydroartemisinin was especially effective for the lupus erythematosus with high variation. According to the previous clinical observations made by Tu Youyou’s research group, the treatment efficiencies of artemisinin for discoid lupus erythematosus and systemic lupus erythematosus are over 90% and 80% respectively. The relevant clinical test application has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration; Phase 1 of this clinical test started formally in May 2018, and had 120 design samples. Zhang Fengchun, the responsible person of this clinical test project and the director of rheumatology and immunology department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital said to the reporters of Global Times: “No unexpected bad event happened in Phase 1 of this clinical test, proving the safety of the drug. Now, Phase 2 of this clinical test has started.”

Zhang Fengchun said that the lupus erythematosus, as a typical immunology-related connective tissue disease, is classified into discoid lupus erythematosus, systemic lupus erythematosus and other types. If the etiology is unknown, the existing drugs are hard to eliminate the disease completely. Therefore, the treatment effects of some patients are not ideal. “The significances of this clinical test are that the new supplementary therapies are found, and the lupus erythematosus can be relieved further on the basis of existing drugs.”

Tu Youyou said: “Artemisinin has an effective trend for treatment of lupus erythematosus so we are cautiously optimistic about the test success.”

According to the media reports, in the evening on June 17, KPC Pharmaceuticals (12.770, 1.16, 9.99%), a listed company, announced that the treatment of lupus erythematosus with dihydroartemisinin tablets is now in the patient grouping period of Phase 2. The new drug research, as a long-period task, has many uncertainties.

Experts: This achievement is significant

Lin Feng, the vice president of Hainan Infectious Disease Hospital and the vice director of Infectious Disease Centre told the reporters of Global Times that in the natural world, the drug resistance of microorganism cannot be avoided so the malaria will become resistant to anti-malaria drugs, namely tolerance to anti-malaria drugs. Through the hard working over years, the malaria is basically controlled in China. At present, most malaria patients in China are “imported”. The malaria in the European and American developed countries has been effectively controlled so the investment in anti-malaria drug research is reduced. Since the middle of last century, no new anti-malaria drug has occurred. For such case, the World Health Organization has appealed to more public welfare foundations to participate in the anti-malaria drug research. 

“This artemisinin resistance mechanism and countermeasure research is the continuous deep research of artemisinin, and is significant.” Said by Zhang Boli, an academician of China Engineering Academy and the President of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Tu Youyou always emphasized that the artemisinin cannot prevent malaria, and the abuse of artemisinin may quicken the resistance; however, there are always different opinions in this circle, and the anti-malaria mechanisms has given the sound answer. The acting mechanism has proven that only when the plasmodium destroys a lot of red blood cells in the human body and the high-concentration ferroheme is released, the artemisinin can be activated, and become deactivated when it is combined with the protein in the plasmodium; however, the ferroheme in the normal red blood cell is firmly combined with the haemoglobin, and cannot activate the artemisinin. Therefore, the artemisinin can treat, but not prevent the malaria. The finding of this mechanism has well revealed the acting mechanisms of other traditional Chinese medicine.

(Source: Huanqiu.com)