Wed Oct 09 12:30:47 UTC 2024: ## Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 Awarded to Protein Science Pioneers
**STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN** – The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three scientists for their groundbreaking work in protein science. David Baker, of the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, received half of the prize for his development of computational protein design. The other half was shared by Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper, of Google DeepMind in London, UK, for their contribution in protein structure prediction.
Baker’s work revolutionized the field by allowing scientists to design novel proteins from scratch. His team has created a variety of these proteins with applications in medicine, vaccines, nanomaterials, and sensors. Hassabis and Jumper’s contribution comes from their groundbreaking AI model, AlphaFold2, which can predict the structure of almost all 200 million known proteins. This feat was previously considered impossible and has been a game-changer for researchers worldwide, enabling advancements in fields like antibiotic resistance and plastic degradation.
“This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry highlights the transformative power of computational methods and artificial intelligence in understanding and manipulating the building blocks of life,” said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in its announcement.
Each Nobel Prize winner receives 10 million Swedish kronor (about $900,000), with the prize being split evenly when there are multiple winners.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 was awarded to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus, and Aleksey Ekimov for their discovery of quantum dots, tiny atom clusters with applications in various technologies.
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