Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Protein Design

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper for their groundbreaking work in protein design and structure prediction. Baker, a professor at the University of Washington, received half of the prize for his innovative computational protein design techniques, while Hassabis and Jumper, from Google DeepMind, were recognized for developing an AI model, AlphaFold2, capable of predicting the structures of nearly all known proteins. This achievement addresses a long-standing challenge in biochemistry, enabling rapid advancements in drug development and our understanding of human health. The Nobel Committee highlighted the significance of this research for creating new pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials, and addressing issues like antibiotic resistance. Baker's research has led to over 600 published papers and numerous patents, affirming his influence in the field. Collectively, their work promises to revolutionize biological research and applications, making complex protein structure prediction accessible to scientists globally.