Explainer: Why have protein design and structure prediction won the 2024 Nobel prize in chemistry?

This year’s chemistry Nobel prize was awarded to three scientists working in the field of protein design and structure prediction. One half of the prize was awarded to David Baker at the University of Washington in Seattle, US, while the other half was awarded to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, both from Google DeepMind, based in the UK.

We have known for a long time that proteins are the chemical tools of life – there are many different types of protein that all have different roles in our bodies. Each protein is made of a string of amino acids that folds up into a specific 3D shape, or structure, and each protein’s function is closely related to that shape. Knowing a protein’s structure helps us understand how it works and for decades scientists have been working on ways to figure out protein structures, which has presented many challenges along the way.

A protein is made of a sequence of amino acids linked together in a long string. Each specific sequence will fold itself together into a specific 3D shape or structure that enables the protein to carry out its function in the body.

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