On Wednesday, scientists Demis Hassabis and John M Jumper from Google DeepMind, along with Professor David Baker from Washington University, won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the recipients, stating that David Baker receives one-half of the prestigious award for computational protein design, while the other half goes jointly to Hassabis and Jumper for protein structure prediction.
Demis Hassabis serves as the CEO of Google DeepMind, and John M Jumper is a Senior Research Scientist at the same institution. Their collaborative work, along with Baker’s innovative research, marks a significant milestone in the field of biochemistry.
The Academy highlighted two remarkable breakthroughs: Baker’s achievement in constructing novel proteins and the work by Hassabis and Jumper in addressing a long-standing challenge of predicting protein structures based on their amino acid sequences.
“These discoveries unlock immense possibilities in the field,” stated Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.
David Baker made headlines in 2003 when he successfully designed a new protein using 20 different amino acids.
His research team has since pioneered the creation of various proteins that hold promise in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanotechnology, and sensor technology.
For decades, scientists have grappled with the complex task of predicting protein structures from amino acid sequences.
Hassabis & Jumper Revolutionize Protein Prediction With AlphaFold2; Adopted By 2 Million Researchers.
In a breakthrough moment in 2020, Hassabis and Jumper introduced AlphaFold2, an AI model that has revolutionized the field.
Additionally, this model has been adopted by over two million researchers across 190 countries, enabling the prediction of nearly all 200 million known proteins.
Their work has enhanced our understanding of issues such as antibiotic resistance and facilitated the visualization of enzymes capable of degrading plastics.
The Academy underscored the far-reaching implications of these discoveries, noting their significant potential for advancements in science and medicine.
The total prize amount is 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.1 million), with Baker receiving half, while Hassabis and Jumper will share the other half.
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