In a monumental announcement on Wednesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper for their groundbreaking work in protein research. Their pioneering efforts have significantly advanced the understanding and designing of proteins, which are fundamental to life.
“One of the discoveries being recognized this year concerns the construction of spectacular proteins. The other is about fulfilling a 50-year-old dream: predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences,” the academy said in a statement.
Half of the prestigious award was given to Baker “for computational protein design,” recognizing his innovative work at the University of Washington in Seattle. Since 2003, Baker has led efforts to design new proteins, developing imaginative structures with diverse applications. His team’s creations have potential uses in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials, and tiny sensors, according to the Nobel committee.
The other half of the prize was shared by Hassabis and Jumper “for protein structure prediction.” Both scientists are affiliated with Google DeepMind in London. They developed an AI model capable of predicting the structure of nearly all of the 200 million proteins known to science. This monumental achievement allows scientists worldwide to determine the complex three-dimensional structures of proteins based solely on their amino acid sequences.
The Nobel committee highlighted that these advancements not only deepen our understanding of biological processes but also open new avenues in medical research and biotechnology. The prize, considered one of the highest honors in science, comes with a monetary reward of 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1.1 million).
Proteins are the workhorses of the cell, carrying out essential functions necessary for life. Understanding their structure is crucial for developing new medicines and therapies. The work by Baker, Hassabis, and Jumper represents a significant leap forward in this field, offering tools and methodologies that could revolutionize drug discovery and the development of new treatments for various diseases.
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Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to 3 scientists for work on proteins
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