The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for their groundbreaking work in computational protein design and protein structure prediction. UNC’s Brian Kuhlman made significant contributions to this work while a postdoctoral researcher in the Baker lab.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to David Baker (1/2) and to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper (1/2) for their groundbreaking work in computational protein design and protein structure prediction.
The prestigious recognition highlights the significant contributions of Brian Kuhlman, PhD, professor in the UNC Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, whose postdoctoral work in the Baker lab at the University of Washington played a crucial role in this achievement.
Dr. Kuhlman’s contributions are referenced in the Nobel Prize documentation, specifically in reference #17, which details the breakthrough in computational de novo protein design. In 2003, David Baker and his team, including Dr. Kuhlman, published the design and crystallographic validation of a 93-residue α/β-protein named Top7. This pioneering work laid the foundation for advancements in protein design and has had a lasting impact on the field of chemistry.
“I am so excited for David Baker and all the people that have contributed to our field,” said Kuhlman, who is also an Oliver Smithies Investigator at the UNC School of Medicine, named for UNC Nobel Laureate Oliver Smithies. “For me personally, it was neat to see Top7 and Rosetta mentioned in the Nobel Prize write-up. The time I spent in David’s lab developing the protein design module in Rosetta and designing Top7 was incredibly fun and rewarding. Equally exciting has been seeing all the wonderful proteins that people have designed using Rosetta and now even more powerful AI-based methods. These include new vaccines, enzymes and therapeutic proteins.”
“Our department extends our heartfelt congratulations to Brian for his contributions to this Nobel Prize winning research,” said Jean Cook, PhD, chair of the UNC Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Lineberger member. “Brian was first author on one of the key publications that led to the Nobel Prize. This recognition underscores the importance of collaborative research and the significant contributions of our faculty to scientific innovation.”
Read more about the Nobel Prize, and the research that earned the award.