Demis Hassabis, the British founder of DeepMind, along with John Jumper and David Baker, has just been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work in predicting and designing protein structures. This prestigious accolade celebrates their crucial contributions to the field, particularly through advancements in AI models like AlphaFold that enhance our understanding of proteins based on their chemical sequences.
In a recent announcement by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Hassabis and Jumper received half of the prize for their pioneering efforts with AlphaFold, while the other half recognized Professor David Baker from the University of Washington. Baker’s computational research has resulted in the creation of entirely new proteins, which have the potential for exciting applications in areas like vaccines, nanomaterials, and tiny sensors.
Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel committee for chemistry, emphasized two key discoveries that shaped this year’s award: one focused on creating innovative proteins, and the other on predicting protein structures from amino acid sequences—a dream pursued for over 50 years. Linke noted that these achievements open up vast possibilities for the future.
Following the announcement, Baker shared that he was awakened by a call from the academy with the thrilling news of his win. He reflected on how the vision of designing new proteins had been a dream for over two decades. Thanks to significant advances in computing and scientific understanding, this dream is now coming to fruition, with considerable implications for areas like coronavirus vaccine design.
Baker expressed his enthusiasm about the potential to create “a whole new world of proteins to tackle the problems faced by humanity in the 21st century,” stating, “Now it’s becoming possible.”
Proteins are fundamental to all life, serving as hormones, antibodies, and key components of various tissues. Since 2003, Baker has been on a mission to design unique proteins that don’t exist in nature, achieving notable success along the way. His team has managed to produce novel proteins with diverse applications in medicine and materials science.
Proteins consist of 20 different amino acids that link together in long chains, folding into complex three-dimensional structures. These structures, along with their chemical compositions, are crucial in determining how proteins interact, including their ability to bind to drugs within the body. However, predicting these structures from chemical sequences has long been a daunting challenge for scientists.
A significant breakthrough came four years ago with the launch of AlphaFold 2, developed by Hassabis and Jumper. This AI model has the ability to predict the structure of nearly all 200 million proteins identified by researchers. Since its introduction, AlphaFold 2 has been utilized by over two million users across 190 countries, aiding research in antibiotic resistance and the development of enzymes capable of breaking down plastic.
Dr. Annette Doherty, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, highlighted the incredible benefits of this research for enhancing health and wellbeing. She expressed her confidence that the work of these scientists will inspire future generations, echoing the impact of past discoveries that have similarly earned this esteemed honor.
