The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 has been awarded, with one half going to David Baker ‘for computational protein design’ and the other half shared by Demis Hassabis and John Jumper ‘for protein structure prediction’.
Demis Hassabis and John Jumper made groundbreaking strides in using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the structure of nearly all known proteins. Meanwhile, David Baker mastered the intricate task of designing entirely new proteins, pushing the boundaries of what life's building blocks can do.
Cracking the code of protein structures
This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry focuses on proteins, the chemical tools essential for life. David Baker has achieved the remarkable feat of building new proteins from scratch, while Demis Hassabis and John Jumper solved a decades-old problem by predicting complex protein structures using AI. These achievements have far-reaching potential.
The diversity of life attests to proteins' extraordinary abilities. They drive chemical reactions, function as hormones, signal substances, antibodies, and serve as building blocks for tissues. Proteins are life’s multitasking molecules.
“One of this year's discoveries concerns the creation of new, remarkable proteins. The other fulfills a 50-year-old dream: predicting protein structures from their amino acid sequences. Both open up vast possibilities,” said Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
David Baker: Building new proteins
Proteins consist of 20 different amino acids, often described as life's building blocks. In 2003, David Baker managed to use these blocks to design a completely new type of protein. Since then, his research group has created a range of innovative proteins that can serve as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials, and sensors.
Demis Hassabis and John Jumper: Solving protein structures with AI
For decades, predicting protein structures from amino acid sequences was a complex challenge. However, in 2020, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper introduced AlphaFold2, an AI model capable of predicting the structure of nearly all 200 million proteins identified by researchers. Since its debut, AlphaFold2 has been used by more than two million people across 190 countries. This technology has revolutionized scientific research, offering new insights into antibiotic resistance and enabling the design of enzymes that can break down plastic.
A giant leap for humankind
Proteins are fundamental to life, and now, with the ability to both design new proteins and predict their structures, we stand on the brink of vast scientific and medical advancements, with the potential to transform human health and the environment.