Frances H. Arnold, George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter are this year's Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry. The Swedish Academy announced this Wednesday (2) that the scientists will share the prize of 9 million Swedish kronor, equivalent to R$4.098.402.
Arnold is the fifth woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and will receive half the prize. The other two scientists will share R$2 million. The American, from the California Institute of Technology, led the first directed evolution of enzymes, proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. Enzymes produced through directed evolution are used to manufacture everything from biofuels to pharmaceuticals.
American George P. Smith, from the University of Missouri, developed a method, called phage display, in which a virus that infects bacteria can be used to develop new proteins.
Sir Gregory Winter, a Briton from the University of Cambridge, used phage display to produce new pharmaceuticals. Currently, phage display has produced antibodies that can neutralize toxins, combat autoimmune diseases and cure metastatic cancer.
Committee members stated, during the award ceremony, that the discoveries contribute to greener chemistry, which replaces toxic catalysts in industrial processes, and to antibody-based drugs with more efficacy and fewer side effects.
A The Nobel Foundation announced on Monday (1) the winners in Medicine, awarded for immunotherapy research against cancer. On Tuesday (2), a woman won the Physics prize for the first time in 55 years, along with two other researchers, for discoveries about lasers. The winners in the Peace and Economy category will be announced on Friday (5) and Monday (11), respectively. The Literature prize has been postponed until 2019.
The laureates will receive their prize on December 10th in Stockholm, when King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the Nobel medal and diploma to the winners. The winner in the Peace category will receive the award in Oslo from Norwegian King Harald V.
(Lara Pinheiro, G1)
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