A Milestone in Protein Science
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for their groundbreaking work on proteins. One-half of the prize was awarded to David Baker “for computational protein design,” while the other half was jointly given to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein structure prediction.”
Importance of Proteins in Biology
Proteins are essential, complex molecules that carry out numerous vital functions in living organisms. Composed of amino acids, proteins are shaped by the specific sequence of these amino acids, which determines their structure and function. Understanding and predicting this structure has been a significant challenge for scientists, making the work of this year’s laureates highly impactful.
David Baker’s Pioneering Contributions- Nobel Prize
In 2003, David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington, succeeded in designing a novel protein, which was unlike any known natural protein. His research opened new doors in the field of protein engineering, as his team continued to create imaginative protein structures. Baker expressed his excitement and honor during a conference call following the announcement.
AlphaFold2: Revolutionizing Protein Structure Prediction
In 2020, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, as part of Google DeepMind, developed the revolutionary AI model AlphaFold2. This model successfully predicted the structure of virtually all 200 million proteins known to science. Their AI breakthrough significantly advanced biological research, providing invaluable insights into protein functions and disease mechanisms.
Demis Hassabis serves as the CEO of Google DeepMind, while John M. Jumper is a Senior Research Scientist at the same organization.
Alfred Nobel’s Legacy in Chemistry
The announcement of the 2024 Chemistry Nobel continues the Nobel Week, in line with Alfred Nobel’s will, which recognized chemistry as one of the key categories. Nobel’s work was deeply rooted in chemical knowledge, making it a cornerstone of his industrial inventions and processes.
Other Nobel Announcements in 2024
Earlier in the week, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to AI pioneers J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton for their foundational work in machine learning and neural networks. The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA and its critical role in gene regulation.
