Nobel Prize 2024 Awarded for Protein Structure Innovations

Why in the news?

David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for breakthroughs in computational protein design and AI-driven protein structure prediction.

Nobel Prize 2024 Awarded for Protein Structure Innovations

About Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 Winners:

  • David Baker (University of Washington, USA) receives the Nobel Prize for “computational protein design.”
  • Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper (Google DeepMind, UK) share the prize for “protein structure prediction.”
  • Their work represents groundbreaking advancements in the field of protein science, opening new avenues in biological research.

Key Contributions to Protein Science:

  • David Baker’s work focuses on designing entirely new proteins, marking a significant achievement in protein engineering.
  • Hassabis and Jumper developed an AI model to predict complex three-dimensional protein structures, solving a long-standing 50-year-old challenge.
  • These discoveries expand the possibilities of understanding and manipulating proteins for medical and scientific applications.

Significance of the Discoveries:

  • The Nobel Committee emphasised the importance of these innovations, with one focused on constructing novel proteins and the other on predicting protein structures from amino acid sequences.
  • Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, highlighted the vast potential unlocked by these breakthroughs in biotechnology and medicine.
  • The prize honours these advancements for their impact on science, particularly in drug design and molecular biology.

About Nobel Prize:

  • Founded: In 1895 by Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite.
  • Purpose: Honours significant contributions to humankind in various fields.
  • Award Categories: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economics.

Award Institutions:

  • Swedish Academy: Literature
  • Karolinska Institute: Physiology or Medicine
  • Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, Economics
  • Norwegian Nobel Committee: Peace Prize
  • Funding: Comes from Alfred Nobel’s will.
  • Significance: Considered the world’s most prestigious award.

Sources Referred:

PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan Times