Tu Youyou was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China, a city known for its rich history and intellectual tradition. Her name, "Youyou", was inspired by a line from the Book of Odes, a classic collection of Chinese poetry, reflecting her parents' hope for a peaceful and harmonious life for her.

Tu Youyou enrolled at Peking University's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, where she majored in pharmaceutical chemistry. This period of formal education provided her with a foundational understanding of drug development, extraction techniques, and the principles of chemistry necessary for her future work.

After graduation, Tu Youyou was assigned to the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (now the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences). This placement proved pivotal, immersing her in the rich history and practices of traditional Chinese medicine, a field that would greatly influence her approach to finding a malaria cure.

In the context of the Vietnam War and a growing need for malaria treatment, Tu Youyou was appointed to lead Project 523, a secret military project aimed at discovering a new anti-malarial drug. This assignment marked the beginning of her dedicated pursuit of a solution to a global health crisis.

After numerous failed attempts, Tu Youyou and her team turned to ancient Chinese medical texts. Inspired by a reference to sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), she revisited the extraction process, using low-temperature ether to successfully isolate artemisinin, a substance highly effective in killing malaria parasites in vitro. This breakthrough was a direct result of integrating traditional knowledge with modern scientific methodology.

To ensure the safety of the drug, Tu Youyou and several members of her team bravely volunteered to be the first human subjects to test artemisinin. Her willingness to risk her own health underscored her dedication to finding a cure for malaria.

After years of rigorous testing and refinement, Tu Youyou and her team published their findings on artemisinin, making their discovery available to the international scientific community. This publication opened the door for widespread production and distribution of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), which became the gold standard for malaria treatment.

Tu Youyou received the prestigious Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, recognizing her discovery of artemisinin and its impact on global health. This award signaled international recognition of the profound significance of her work.

Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, jointly with William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura, for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against malaria. This achievement cemented her legacy as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th and 21st centuries. She is the first Chinese woman to receive a Nobel Prize in science.