Adapted from this Berkeley Lab press release
David Baker, a biochemist at the University of Washington, was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on October 8 for his work in computational protein design, along with Demis Hassabis and John Jumper from Google DeepMind for their work in protein structure prediction. Baker and his groundbreaking research have many connections to Berkeley Lab. He has collaborated with Lab researchers and utilized all five Berkeley Lab user facilities.
At the Foundry, Baker has worked with staff scientist Bruce Cohen to design protein cages that can encapsulate the nanocrystals developed at the Foundry. “David’s group has designed hollow protein cages, and our goal has been to see if we can get them to form around our nanoparticles. This has been a big challenge, since we have to get them to form around the nanoparticles before they assemble on their own,” said Cohen. The groups have gone back and forth on a number of protein designs for specific nanoparticles. “It’s amazing that they can design most whatever they want and it actually works most of the time.”
Read more about David’s connection to Berkeley Lab in the full press release.
