Baker, Hassabis, Jumper Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker of the University of Washington, and Demis Hassabis and John Jumper of Google DeepMind, for their groundbreaking work on protein structure prediction and computational protein design. Baker was recognized for developing techniques to create novel proteins not found in nature, which have potential applications in pharmaceuticals and nanomaterials. Hassabis and Jumper were honored for their AI model AlphaFold2, which accurately predicts the 3D structures of proteins, addressing a long-standing challenge in molecular biology. Their work represents a significant advance in understanding how proteins function and interact, paving the way for new drug development and biotechnological innovations. The award underscores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence in scientific research and its potential to solve complex biological problems.