This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded on Monday to three scientists who pioneered the use of modern laboratory experiments to find anti-parasitic drugs that were hidden in herbs and soil.

The winners were William C. Campbell, formerly of New Jersey, and Japan's Satoshi Omura, who received half of the $960,000 grant. The third scientist is Tu Youyou from China who will be awarded the other half of the award. They "have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases," the Nobel Committee of the Karolinska Institute said as they announced the winners, according to the New York Times.

Campbell and Omura discovered avermectin, which can reduce the occurrence of river blindness as well as lymphatic filariasis. These two diseases are commonplace in Asia and Africa and are caused by parasitic worms. Tu was the one who discovered artemisinin. Artemisinin is a drug that can also reduce dying among malaria patients.

Ray Yip, the former Chinese program director for the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and also the Gates Foundation highly regarded Tu's discovery. "It is one of the few very truly innovative drugs to come out of China," Yip said, according to the Wall Street Journal. "The introduction of artemisinin was a major force in containing the scourge of malaria."

"The two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually," the Nobel Prize Committee said, Fox News reported. "The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable."