Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of artemisinin, a drug used to treat malaria. This was a watershed moment, recognizing her groundbreaking work and its global impact on public health.

Project 523 was initiated in China, dedicated to finding a new treatment for malaria. This was a secret project, launched due to requests from North Vietnam during the Vietnam War and the prevalence of malaria in Southern China. Tu Youyou would later play a crucial role in this project.