2024 Nobel Chemistry Prize awarded to 3 AI experts, accurately predict the 3D structure of proteins

Nobel Chemistry Prize

Following the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded to an expert in artificial intelligence, “Geoffrey Hinton, 2024 Nobel Physics winner, inadvertently helped Nvida transform to AI overlord“, the 2024 Nobel Chemistry Prize was awarded to three artificail intelligence experts, David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, who used artificial intelligence to accurately predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins.

Nobel Foundation

Let’s change the topic first. Regarding the Nobel Foundation, which is responsible for distributing Nobel Prizes, why can’t the money be spent until now? Its investment strategy As an investor, you should really understand how its funds are endless. Please refer to my previous post for a special introduction: “The investment strategy of the Nobel Foundation“.

2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

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The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is quite unconventional. It will be awarded by David Baker, director of the Institute of Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Demis Hassabis, developer of the AlphaFold protein structure of Google’sDeepMind artificial intelligence, and John Jumper shared the honor.

The three winners are not actual chemical scientists, but have developed artificial intelligence programs that can predict the protein structure of eggs, once again proving the potential of artificial intelligence.

The Nobel Prize Committee stated that three people used artificial intelligence to accurately predict the three-dimensional structure of proteins. This breakthrough is revolutionizing the world’s understanding of how protein amino acid sequences create uniquely ordered three-dimensional structures. Scientists are now using these new methods to predict protein conformation, design entirely new proteins, and identify new drug targets.

The official website of the Nobel Prize pointed out that the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry commends the new understanding and mastery of the basic unit of life chemistry: protein, which will bring huge potential. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, CEOs of Google’s DeepMind, used artificial intelligence to successfully predict the three-dimensional structure of almost all known proteins, solving a problem that has vexed scientists for more than 50 years. . The other half of the award goes to David Baker, director of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine, who has developed computerized methods to create new and functionally unique proteins.

Predictions more accurate than ever before

David Baker, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington and a researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, used a deep learning system to develop a program called “RoseTTAFold.” Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, senior research scientists at the artificial intelligence company DeepMind, invented AlphaFold2. These two protein computing programs predict protein shapes with unprecedented accuracy, determining structures earlier than biochemistry laboratories can.

Proteins are indispensable tools in biology and are usually composed of 20 amino acids. These amino acids are linked into long chains within the cell according to the blueprint in DNA, and then twisted and folded to form a unique 3D structure.

It is these structures that give proteins their functions, such as forming external structures such as muscles, horns, and feathers, or becoming hormones, antibodies, etc. Some proteins also form enzymes to accurately drive biochemical reactions; cell surface proteins serve as channels for communication with the outside world.

Both programs are free to use

Receiving 1/2 of the prize, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper’s contribution lies in their use of artificial intelligence to solve the problem of predicting the three-dimensional structure of proteins, allowing scientists to predict approximately Structures of 200 million known proteins. This breakthrough brings chemists closer to understanding protein function and advances research in many fields.

Proteins invented using a system invented by David Baker can block not only the influenza virus or COVID-19, but even the spread of cancer cells, and these results have been successful in the laboratory. Today, both RoseTTAFold and AlphaFold2 are freely available to the scientific community.

According to the Nobel Prize Committee, David Baker received 1/2 of the prize, while Demis Hassabis and John Jumper each received 1/4. David Baker was born in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1962. He is 62 years old this year. He received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989 and is currently the director of the Institute of Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The Nobel Prize Committee comprehensively evaluated the reason for his award as “his achievements in the field of computational protein design using computers.”

Jamis Hassabis

Inventing Alpho Go

One of the winners this year, Demis Hassabis, is a master of games and computer programming. He participated in the development of the artificial intelligence Go program AlphaGo. Winning the year. Demis Hassabis‘ achievements are mainly in computer games and artificial intelligence. Before winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, he had already shocked the world with the invention of AlphaGo.

Demis Hassabis, the son of a Greek Cypriot father and a Singaporean Chinese mother, grew up in north London. He is a child prodigy. He was discovered to have a talent for chess at the age of 4. He became a master at the age of 13 and his chess points (Elo) reached 2300. From 1988 to 1990, Demis Hassabis studied at the London Basketball School. Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet. During this period, he used his chess winnings to buy his first computer, a ZX Spectrum 48K, which also started his interest in computer programming.

His high school career was extremely short. He completed high school two years early and was admitted to Cambridge University when he was only 16 years old. Because he was too young, Cambridge University required him to “wait for a year before enrolling.”

Participated in the development of multiple games

While waiting to enter school, the 17-year-old Demis Hassabis entered the video game industry and joined the famous “Bullfrog Productions” as the chief game designer. His first game was “Yakuza Syndicate” “(Syndicate), as part of the level design, as well as “God is Crazy” (Populous); he also served as the lead programmer of “Theme Park” (Theme Park), which sold 10 million copies and received The profit was enough to pay for all the expenses of college, and it won the game industry’s Golden Joystick Award, triggering a series of simulation business game development boom.

After leaving Bullfrog Studios, he entered Cambridge University to study computer science and obtained a double degree. While at Cambridge University, Demis Hassabis led the school team to participate in international chess competitions in 1995, 1996 and 1997. He graduated with honors from the Department of Computer Science in 1997.

After graduation, he joined Lionhead Studios as the lead programmer on the game “Black & White”. The following year, he founded his own company, Elixir Studios, and served as executive designer on the innovative political simulation game Republic: The Revolution. He subsequently launched the critically acclaimed supervillain simulation game “Evil Genius” and signed a lucrative publishing contract with Microsoft.

Intellectual Olympics champions

While running Panacea Studio, Demis Hassabis continued to compete in international mind sports competitions. He won the pentathlon world championship for five consecutive years (1998 to 2003) at the Mind Sports Olympiad in London, and won the decathlon championship in 2003 and 2004.

By 2009, he went to University College London (UCL) to obtain a PhD in cognitive science, during which he began to be exposed to artificial intelligence research and development. In 2010, at the age of 34, he co-founded DeepMind with other partners. The company’s most famous work is the Go program AlphaGo.

Since then, it has established the status of artificial intelligence. The company was acquired by Google in 2014, but Demis Hassabis remained as CEO. He has published more than 120 papers and been cited more than 98,000 times. In 2024, the British royal family recognized his contribution to artificial intelligence and knighted him.

Nobel Chemistry Prize
credit:leonardo.ai

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