At the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm on Wednesday, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and K. Barry Sharpless were given the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.” A functional branch of chemistry known as “click chemistry,” in which molecular building pieces fit together rapidly and precisely, was established by Sharpless and Meldal.
Pharmaceutical advancements for DNA mapping
Click chemistry is used to map DNA, manufacture medications, and make materials that are more suited for their intended use. Researchers have enhanced the targeting of cancer drugs by using bioorthogonal processes. In the meantime, Bertozzi has advanced click chemistry and begun applying it to living things. Her bioorthogonal processes happen without interfering with the cell’s regular chemistry.
Sharpless wins second Nobel
K Barry Sharpless is now just the sixth person since the Nobel Prize’s inception in 1901 to get two of them. In 2001, Sharpless won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on chirally catalyzed oxidation processes. Barry Sharpless follows the footsteps of Frederick Sanger, Linus Pauling, Marie Sklodowska Curie, and John Bardeen who were also awarded Nobel prize twice.
The Research
The Nobel Committee explained that click chemistry is a crucial component in the creation of materials that are better suited for the purpose as well as for the production of medications and for mapping DNA. They claimed that bioorthogonal reactions had aided scientists in enhancing the targeting of cancer drugs.
According to the Royal Academy’s press statement, manufacturers can easily change materials at a later time using click chemistry. According to the release, it becomes possible to click on materials that conduct electricity, absorb solar energy, have antimicrobial capabilities, provide protection from UV light, or possess other desirable qualities.
The award for creating asymmetric organocatalysis was given to Benjamin List and David WC MacMillan last year. In the industry, they were regarded as pioneers.
