In just a few days, outstanding inventions and research in science will be honored at the Nobel Prize announcements for 2024. This prestigious award was established over a century ago by Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel to recognize groundbreaking achievements in science.
According to CNN, predicting Nobel Prize winners is not easy, as the shortlist and nominees remain confidential. Documentation related to the selection process will be kept secret for 50 years.
However, over the years, many inventions and studies have been highly regarded by experts and considered worthy of the Nobel Prize. Below are several exemplary studies in the fields of chemistry, biology, and medicine.
The First Human Genome Map
In 1990, the Human Genome Project was initiated and completed in 2003, involving thousands of researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and China.
The discovery of the human genome map has had a profound impact on biology, medicine, and many other fields. However, according to CNN, one reason this project might not win a Nobel Prize is the sheer number of people involved.
According to Alfred Nobel’s will in 1895, the prize can honor a maximum of three individuals for each award. In the context of extensive scientific collaboration today, this criterion becomes a barrier preventing some groundbreaking research with numerous contributors from being awarded the Nobel Prize.
Research in Obesity Treatment
Globally, one in eight people is affected by obesity, a figure that has doubled since 1990. In this context, the development of GLP-1 hormone-mimicking weight-loss drugs has shaken the medical field for many years.
Manufacturing facility for injection pens to support obesity treatment. (Photo: BLOOMBERG).
This type of drug helps lower blood sugar levels and suppress appetite. It is considered capable of ushering in a new era in treating obesity and related conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
The three scientists who developed this drug are Associate Professor Svetlana Mojsov, Professor Joel Habener, and Professor Lotte Bjerre Knudsen. Their research won the 2024 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.
Application of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming human life at an unprecedented pace.
According to David Pendlebury, head of research analytics at Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information (USA), AI is an area of significant interest among scientists, with many outstanding studies. However, only a few studies are deemed worthy of a Nobel Prize. Mr. Pendlebury identifies individuals “worthy of the Nobel Prize” by analyzing how frequently other scientists cite their important research papers over the years.
Two notable scientists in this field are Demis Hassabis and John Jumper. They are the inventors of Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold protein structure database – an AI program that decodes the 3D structures of proteins from amino acid sequences. This database is used by over 2 million researchers worldwide.
Since the prominent paper by these two scientists was published in 2021, it has been cited over 13,000 times. Mr. Pendlebury considers this a “remarkable figure.” Among a total of 61 million scientific papers, only about 500 have been cited more than 10,000 times.
Demis Hassabis (left) and John Jumper receiving an award at the Breakthrough ceremony in April. (Photo: GETTY IMAGE).
Mr. Jumper and Mr. Hassabis received the 2023 Lasker Medical Award and the 2024 Breakthrough Prize. According to Mr. Pendlebury, these two scientists, along with David Baker – director of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine, who laid the groundwork for AlphaFold – deserve to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the future.
Research on the Gut Microbiome
We are not alone in our bodies. Trillions of bacteria live on and within the human body, collectively known as the human microbiome.
With advancements in gene sequencing over the past two decades, scientists have gained a better understanding of what these bacteria do, how they communicate with each other, and how they interact with human cells, particularly in the gut.
Mr. Pendlebury believes this field of research deserves a Nobel Prize, with Dr. Jeffrey Gordon being a pioneer in this area.
Dr. Gordon has worked to understand the human gut microbiome and how it shapes human health, starting with laboratory studies on mice. He led research that discovered the link between the gut microbiome and malnutrition, which affects nearly 200 million children globally.
Additionally, he is developing food intervention strategies to improve gut health.
Research on Cancer Causes
In the 1970s, scientists discovered that cancer can sometimes be hereditary. However, at that time, many did not acknowledge that genetic factors could cause breast cancer.
With a background in research on genetic differences between humans and chimpanzees, Mary-Claire King – now a professor of medicine at the University of Washington – took a new approach to this issue.
Mary-Claire King and President Barack Obama at the National Medal of Science ceremony at the White House in May 2016. (Photo: GETTY IMAGES).
Ms. King spent 17 years discovering and identifying the role of the BRCA1 gene mutation in breast and ovarian cancer.
This discovery has enabled doctors to identify women at high risk for breast cancer through genetic testing. Additionally, it has helped outline necessary steps to reduce the risk of the disease, such as supplemental screening and preventive surgery.
