STOCKHOLM (AP) –Three scientists were presented with the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Wednesday, in recognition of their discovery that involves “snapping molecular chains together” that could be used to create better drugs.
Americans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless and Danish scientist Morten Meldal were recognized for their research on click chemistry and bioorthogonal reaction that help create cancer drugs that map DNA and make substances that are specifically designed for an exact purpose.
“It’s all about securing molecules,” said Johan Aqvist an associate part of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences which announced the winners on today at Karolinska Institute, located in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sharpless, age 81, who won the Nobel Prize in 2001 and is the only person who has been awarded the prize two times first came up with the idea of connecting molecules by chemical “buckles” in the early part of the millennium, according to Aqvist.
“The issue was finding the best chemical buckles,” he said. “They must react quickly and in a specific way.”