Trio take Nobel Prize in Chemistry for improved imaging of biomolecules; work may aid study on Zika virus

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson on Wednesday for their work which helped to visualise the structure of biomolecules.

BREAKING NEWS The 2017 #NobelPrize in Chemistry is awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank & Richard Henderson. pic.twitter.com/RUZSnArJHO

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 4, 2017

Through cryo-electron microscopy, they developed a method to freeze biomolecules which enables them to study their structures and processes, The Nobel Prize’s official Twitter account explained. Their work has aided in research of Zika virus, which causes brain-damage in newborns, The Guardian reported.

Cryo-EM makes it possible to portray biomolecules after freezing them very fast (vitrification method) so its natural shape is preserved. pic.twitter.com/SXgeAVUk24

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 4, 2017

The 9-million-kronor ($1.1 million) prize is shared by Jacques Dubochet of the University of Lausanne, Joachim Frank at New York’s Columbia University and Richard Henderson of MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, Britain. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said their method, called cryo-electron microscopy, allows researchers to “freeze biomolecules” mid-movement and helps them visualise the processes they have never previously seen. [caption id=“attachment_4109493” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Illustration of the resolution progression of cryo-EM. Twitter@TheNobelPrize[/caption] The development, it said, “is decisive for both the basic understanding of life’s chemistry and for the development of pharmaceuticals.” The annual prize in chemistry rewards researchers for major advances in studying the infinitesimal bits of material that are the building blocks of life. Recent prizes have gone to scientists who developed molecular “machines” — molecules with controllable motions — and who mapped how cells repair damaged DNA, leading to improved cancer treatments. It’s the third Nobel announced this week. The medicine prize went to three Americans studying circadian rhythms: Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W Young. The physics prize went to Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish and Kip Thorne for detecting gravitational waves. The literature winner will be named Thursday and the peace prize will be announced Friday. With inputs from agencies