Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Breakthroughs in Protein Design

Three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for their groundbreaking work in predicting and designing novel proteins, the essential building blocks of life. Their innovative research harnesses advanced technologies, including machine learning, and has the potential to revolutionize drug development.

The prestigious award recognizes David Baker from the University of Washington in Seattle, along with Demis Hassabis and John Jumper from Google DeepMind, a British-American artificial intelligence research lab based in London.

Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, emphasized that the award celebrates research that has solved long-standing scientific puzzles. “This was considered a grand challenge in chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, for decades. Today, we honor that breakthrough,” Linke stated.