This year’s chemistry laureate David Baker created the first protein that was entirely different to all known existing proteins. The protein, Top7, was a bolt from the blue for the researchers working on protein design. Those who had previously created new proteins had only been able to imitate existing structures. Top7’s unique structure did not exist in nature. Also, with its 93 amino acids, the protein was larger than anything previously produced using de novo design. #NobelPrize

BREAKING NEWS The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2024 #NobelPrize in Chemistry with one half to David Baker “for computational protein design” and the other half jointly to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein structure prediction.”

“For the 20 years that we worked together before anybody knew about us or cared it was literally the two of us sitting side by side at a bench and working together. Usually at 3 or 5am we would be emailing each other with new ideas.” - 2023 medicine laureate Drew Weissman on his partnership with his co-laureate Katalin Karikó. Keep an eye out for our telephone interview with Weissman, coming soon!