AI and Science: The Reason for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Baker, Hassabis, and Jumper The revolution in protein design

The contribution to understanding the relationship between sequence, structure, and function of proteins has opened new avenues in molecular biology and earned scientists David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John Jumper the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for proving that the prediction of protein three-dimensional structure, which is based on amino acid sequence, determines its function.

The study by Hassabis and Jumper complements the one by Baker, as they introduced AlphaFold2, an artificial intelligence program able to predict the structure of about 200 million proteins identified by researchers. Computational biochemistry and new tools are at the core of this achievement by these three scientists, who made possible a “predictive” approach to molecular biology—something that previously required years.

More specifically, David Baker’s team succeeded in designing new proteins that can be used for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, tiny sensors, or nanomaterials. Meanwhile, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper created AlphaFold2, a system helping researchers in better understanding antibiotic resistance and creating images of enzymes capable of breaking down plastic.

The limitless applications of these discoveries enable scientists to “revolutionize” fields ranging from medicine to physics. We can expect even more from the collaboration between AI and science, not only in advancing scientific discoveries but also in treating common diseases. Their innovative technology has the potential to transform the world of biotechnology and provide essential tools for addressing global challenges in health and the pharmaceutical industry.