AIBreakthrough Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Protein Computing Advancements

Stockholm, Sweden – In a groundbreaking announcement, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences hasawarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to three scientists at the forefront of protein computation: David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and JohnM. Jumper.

Half of the prestigious award goes to David Baker, Professor at the University of Washington, for his pioneering work in computational proteindesign. The other half is shared by Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper, both scientists at Google DeepMind, for their groundbreaking contributions to protein structure prediction.

David Baker, Director of the Institutefor Protein Design at the University of Washington, is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and the Henrietta and Aubrey Davis Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He also holds adjunct professorships in Genome Sciences, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering,Computer Science, and Physics at the University of Washington. Baker’s lab has developed software for protein design, which is used to create molecules that address challenges in medicine, technology, and sustainability. He has published over 600 research papers, co-founded 21 companies, and received numerous awards for hiswork.

Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, is a renowned neuroscientist and computer scientist. He has been instrumental in developing powerful AI systems that have made significant breakthroughs in various fields, including protein structure prediction. Hassabis’s work has revolutionized our understanding ofthe human brain and its capabilities.

John M. Jumper, a senior research scientist at Google DeepMind, played a key role in developing AlphaFold, a groundbreaking AI system that can predict the 3D structure of proteins with unprecedented accuracy. This technology has had a profound impact on various fields, including drug discovery,disease research, and materials science.

The Nobel Committee highlighted the transformative nature of the laureates’ work, stating that their contributions have revolutionized our understanding of proteins and opened up new avenues for research and development.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry once again underscores the growing influence of AI in scientificresearch. The ability to design and predict protein structures has far-reaching implications for addressing global challenges such as disease, climate change, and food security.

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