• The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Demis Hassabis, John M. Jumper, and David Baker for their work in computational protein design and protein structure prediction.
• Baker's team created new proteins with potential applications in medicine and material sciences.
• Hassabis and Jumper developed AlphaFold2, an AI model that accurately predicts protein structures from amino acid sequences.
• Their groundbreaking work has advanced our understanding of proteins and opened up new possibilities in medicine, material sciences, and biotechnology.

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to two scientists from Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper, and David Baker from the University of Washington. The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 9, 2024. The award recognizes their groundbreaking work in the field of computational protein design and protein structure prediction, which has revolutionized the field of chemistry and biology.

David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington, has been recognized for his pioneering work in computational protein design. In 2003, he accomplished the almost impossible feat of building entirely new kinds of proteins using 20 different amino acids. His research team has since then produced one imaginative protein creation after another, including proteins that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials, and tiny sensors. This groundbreaking work has opened up vast possibilities in the field of medicine and material sciences.

On the other hand, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind in the UK, and John M. Jumper, a Senior Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, have been awarded for their development of an AI model called AlphaFold2. This model has solved a 50-year-old problem of predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences.

Revolutionizing Protein Structure Prediction

Since the 1970s, researchers have been trying to predict protein structures from amino acid sequences, which proved to be notoriously difficult. However, the breakthrough came in 2020 when Hassabis and Jumper presented AlphaFold2. AlphaFold2 has been used by more than two million people from 190 countries and has helped predict the structure of virtually all the 200 million proteins that researchers have identified. This discovery has ushered in a better understanding of antibiotic resistance and has helped create images of enzymes that can decompose plastic.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 is about proteins, life's ingenious chemical tools. Proteins control and drive all the chemical reactions that together are the basis of life. They also function as hormones, signal substances, antibodies, and the building blocks of different tissues. The discoveries being recognized this year concern the construction of spectacular proteins and fulfilling a 50-year-old dream: predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences. Both of these discoveries open up vast possibilities.

The Impact and Recognition of Groundbreaking Work

The prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1.1 million) from a bequest left by the award's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. One-half of the prize amount will be given to Baker, while the other half will be divided between Hassabis and Jumper. The laureates are invited to receive their awards at ceremonies on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.

The work of these scientists is considered groundbreaking because they have solved a long-standing problem in biology and chemistry. David Baker's work on computational protein design enables the creation of new proteins with potential applications in medicine and technology.

Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper, through the development of AlphaFold2, have achieved accurate protein structure prediction, a feat that was previously elusive. This breakthrough significantly enhances our understanding of the fundamental building blocks of life and accelerates research in drug development, disease understanding, and biotechnology, making it a pivotal advancement in both chemistry and biology.