Courtesy of HHMI and StanfordRobert J. Lefkowitz of Duke University and Brian K. Kobilka of Stanford have won this year’s Nobel Prize for Chemistry for describing the structure and function of the receptors through which cells sense and respond to chemical signals. The findings, awarded the prize this morning (October 10) by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, have transformed scientists’ understanding of many physiological processes and continue to support advances in drug design.
“They have helped us to develop deeper insights in to the mechanisms of cell reactions and the molecular structures behind them—insights that help us to understand the beautiful complexity of the chemical world inside us,” Bassam Shakhashiri, president of the American Chemical Society, told The Scientist. “Their contributions are extremely useful. Every day thousands of chemists use the results of their research in developing new pharmaceuticals for use in society.”
Since the discovery of cells in the 17th century, scientists have understood that these building blocks of life are constantly exposed to myriad chemical signals, which are then recognized, interpreted, and translated into a cellular response. But until around 20 years ago, how cells did this was a mystery. Scientists had suspected that cell surface ...
