Three scientists win Nobel Prize in chemistry for work on proteins

Committee praises laureates for revealing proteins’ secrets through computing and artificial intelligence.

Scientists David Baker, John Jumper and Demis Hassabis have won the 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work on predicting the structure of proteins, the building blocks of life.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Wednesday announced half of the prize to Baker “for computational protein design” and the other half jointly to Hassabis and Jumper “for protein structure prediction”.

Baker works at the University of Washington in Seattle, United States, while Hassabis and Jumper both work at Google Deepmind in London.

The laureates revealed proteins’ secrets through computing and artificial intelligence, the committee said, noting that “chemists have long dreamed of fully understanding and mastering the chemical tools of life – proteins”.

While Hassabis and Jumper used artificial intelligence “to predict the structure of almost all known proteins”, Baker “has learned how to master life’s building blocks and create entirely new proteins”.

Describing the potential of their discoveries as “enormous” and “astounding”, the committee said that it could lead to the more rapid development of vaccines and a greener chemical industry “to name just a few applications that are for the greatest benefit of humankind”.

Last year’s chemistry award went to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Aleksey Ekimov for their discovery of tiny clusters of atoms known as quantum dots, widely used today to create colours in flat screens, light emitting diode (LED) lamps and devices that help surgeons see blood vessels in tumours.

The prize carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1m) from a bequest left by the award’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.

First handed out in 1901, 15 years after Nobel’s death, it is awarded for achievements in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace.