This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded half to David Baker "for computational protein design," and the other half jointly to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper "for protein structure prediction." Demis Hassabis and John Jumper have successfully used artificial intelligence to predict the structure of almost all known proteins. David Baker has learned how to master the building blocks of life and create entirely new proteins.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded. Laureates have cracked the code of protein structures
Published Oct. 9, 2024 12:07
Obraz: Komitet Noblowski
- One of the discoveries to be recognized this year concerns the construction of spectacular proteins. The other concerns the fulfillment of a 50-year-old dream: predicting protein structures based on their amino acid sequences. Both of these discoveries open up enormous possibilities, says Heiner Linke, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
Proteins are typically composed of 20 different amino acids, which can be described as the building blocks of life. In 2003, David Baker succeeded in using these elements to design a new protein that resembled no other previously known protein. Since then, his research group has created more proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and miniature sensors.
The second discovery concerns the prediction of protein structures. In proteins, amino acids are linked together in long chains that fold to form a three-dimensional structure that is critical to protein function. Since the 1970s, scientists have tried to predict protein structures based on amino acid sequences, but it has been extremely difficult. Four years ago, a stunning breakthrough occurred.
In 2020, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper presented an AI model called AlphaFold2. With it, they were able to predict the structure of virtually all 200 million proteins identified by the researchers. Since their breakthrough, AlphaFold2 has been used by more than two million people from 190 countries. The tool means researchers can now better understand antibiotic resistance and create images of enzymes that can break down plastic.
Elaborated. Based on a press release from the Nobel Committee.
