This episode covers one half of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Gertrude B. Elion and George H. Hitchings. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Elion and Hitchings the award, “for their discoveries of important principles for drug treatment”. Topics include the discovery of the antiviral drug acyclovir, how acyclovir works to treat herpes simplex virus infections, and the rational approach to drug discovery.

This episode covers one half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Campbell and Satoshi the award “for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites”. Topics include the pathobiology of river blindness (also called onchocerciasis), a generous act by a major pharmaceutical company, and how a golf course in Japan gave us the drug ivermectin.

This episode covers one half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which was awarded to Tu Youyou. The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute chose to give Tu the award “for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against malaria”. Topics include Tu’s discovery of the anti-malarial drug artemisinin from an ancient Chinese text, the natural medicine movement, and the Vietnam War.